Salt Lake City, UT Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit authority
- Mayor or designated agent
- Bond required
- $25,000 corporate surety bond
- Insurance required
- $250,000/$500,000 liability policy
- Exemption
- Fencing separating property from right-of-way
- Never permitted
- Under-sidewalk space at intersections
Summary
Building over or occupying city sidewalk, street, or alley space requires a permit from the mayor's office plus a $25,000 bond and liability insurance.
It is unlawful for any person to erect or construct any stairway or passage leading from a street, avenue, alley, or basement or cellar of any building within the city limits, or to have any encroachment over the city property, or occupy any portion of the street, alley or sidewalk or any portion of the public streets, avenues or alleys of the city, unless the party so constructing the same shall have procured a permit to do so from the mayor or his/her designated agent.
B. No permit shall be issued allowing any person to have an encroachment over the city area or occupy any area under a sidewalk at any street intersection between the property line and the curb line. It is unlawful for any person to occupy such area. (Ord. 88-86 § 63, 1986: prior code § 41-3-7)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 40-26, passed June 16, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Salt Lake City makes it unlawful to build a stairway, passage, or any other encroachment over city property, or to occupy any part of a street, alley, or sidewalk, without a permit from the mayor or a designated agent. Permittees must post a $25,000 corporate surety bond and carry $250,000/$500,000 liability insurance naming the city as additional insured, unless the encroachment is a fence separating private property from the right-of-way. No permit is ever issued for space under a sidewalk at a street intersection between the property line and curb line.
Violations & Fines
Occupying right-of-way without a permit is unlawful under §14.12.070; the city can order removal of the encroachment and draw on the required bond.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to build steps over the sidewalk in Salt Lake City?
Is a bond required for a Salt Lake City encroachment permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake City
Compare Salt Lake City to another location·View the Utah sidewalk & pedestrian rules overview
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Encroachment Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Salt Lake County handle encroachment permits.