Riverside, CA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

The Public Works Department's Engineering Division issues Encroachment Permits under authority delegated by California Streets and Highways Code Sections 1450-1470 (general authority over local streets) and Municipal Code provisions that reserve public right-of-way for public use. Permits are required for any physical object, installation, or activity that occupies the right-of-way beyond ordinary pedestrian and vehicular passage: scaffolding projecting over the sidewalk, construction dumpsters, portable storage containers, pedestrian canopies, awnings extending from buildings, sidewalk cafés, A-frame signs, utility trenching and backfill, driveway aprons, private drainage discharge, and temporary banners across right-of-way. Applications typically require a site plan, traffic control plan per California MUTCD where vehicular lanes are affected, and a Certificate of Insurance for $1,000,000 general liability with the City of Riverside as additional insured. Work on major streets may require advance coordination with Traffic Engineering, Riverside Public Utilities (water/electric), and in some corridors Caltrans. Private improvements in the right-of-way cannot be grandfathered; the city may revoke an encroachment permit if the use becomes unsafe or conflicts with public improvements. Unpermitted encroachments are cited under the Municipal Code and may be removed at the owner's expense after notice.