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

Under Code of Ordinances Sec. 37-3, any encroachment onto a public street, alley or drainage easement, including a sidewalk within a dedicated public right-of-way, requires a permit before construction. The director overseeing public rights-of-way approves street and alley encroachments; the city floodplain administrator approves drainage-easement encroachments, and both may act without a specific city council vote. Permits last ten years, are renewable, and may be revoked at any time if the director finds the use interferes with the city's use of the right-of-way. A. Transportation Code ch.

316, fire escapes and other safety features, and balconies, awnings, or interconnected walkways between buildings. Before issuing a permit the director must find the improvement will not sit on the roadway or on the part of the sidewalk needed for pedestrian use, will not create a hazard or obstruct vehicle, pedestrian, or drainage flow, will not create private parking in the right-of-way, and will not conflict with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Only the fee owner, a lessee or written permittee of the fee owner, or an adjoining owner where the city holds the underlying fee may apply.

A single permit covers all eligible encroachments on one building, but each building in a project needs its own permit, and non-building encroachments are covered only within a 250-foot radius of a permitted encroachment. The historic preservation officer, the planning director in downtown 'D' zoning, the overseeing director, or the city manager can each block a permit, though council can override that objection. S. Postal Service rules do not need a permit as long as they do not conflict with the ADA or interfere with pedestrian or utility use.

Permits issued after January 1, 2010 are not effective until recorded in the county's real property records, and the process fee plus consideration amount together total $500 under the Sec. 37-22 fee schedule.