San Angelo, TX Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

10, adopted by Ordinance No. 2021-053 in 2021, was written to let Downtown businesses make limited use of the adjacent right-of-way while protecting public safety and the streetscape in the city's overlay and historic districts. Sec. 002 requires an application to the Planning and Development Services Department for any structure, equipment or material placed on, above or below the right-of-way, including canopies, awnings, sidewalk furniture, fencing, landscaping, parking, signs, lighting and fixtures; the City Engineer reviews all structural improvements, and work in a historic district or overlay zone needs a separate Certificate of Appropriateness or overlay approval.

Sec. 003 exempts small encroachments from the application entirely: projections of four inches or less between two and seven feet high, six inches or less above seven feet, freestanding mailboxes outside sidewalks and sight triangles, stand-alone trees with seven feet of clearance, and projecting signs of 16 square feet or less. Sec. 004 lets the Planning Director and City Engineer approve awnings, trees, small movable signs, accessibility ramps and sidewalk furniture administratively in the Central Business District, while Sec. 005 sends every other encroachment to City Council.

Every approved or exempt encroachment must still meet Sec. 006's minimum standards: a five-foot unobstructed sidewalk clearance, at least 18 inches from the back of curb or three feet from the pavement edge, and vertical clearance of two to nine feet through any 30-by-30-foot or 10-by-10-foot sight triangle, plus seven feet under projecting signs and awnings. City Council may revoke any authorized encroachment at its sole discretion under Sec. 007, and staff may temporarily prohibit an exempt or administratively approved encroachment that interferes with public construction or emergency work.