Sedona, AZ Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit classes
- 4: general, project, consent, citywide
- Enforcing official
- City Engineer
- Project permit term
- 60 days from issuance
- Insurance trigger
- costs over $1,500
- Insurance minimum
- $1M per occurrence, $2M aggregate
- After-the-fact fee
- 3x standard permit fee
- Max penalty
- $2,500 fine / 6 months jail
Summary
Anyone building, installing or maintaining something in a Sedona public right-of-way, from a driveway apron to a utility line, needs one of four permits from the city engineer before starting work. General, project, city-developed consent and citywide permits each cover a different scope, and work done before a permit is issued gets billed at triple the standard fee.
A. Compliance. No person, organization, public service utility or franchise grantee shall be issued a permit for construction and maintenance upon, over, along, across and under present and future public rights-of-way without first having complied with subsection (B), (C) or (D) of this section, as applicable. B. Classes of Permit. There shall be four classes of permit: •General permit. •Project permit. •City-developed consent permit. •Citywide permit. ... ... A. Permit Fees. At the issuance of a permit, the city engineer shall collect the permit fees set forth in the city consolidated fee schedule as adopted by the city council from time to time. Such fees shall be paid in lawful money of the United States or by collectible draft, check, credit card or debit card. Should such fee payment instrument be uncollectible within 15 days, the permit shall be null and void. The fee for permits applied for after the fact shall be three times the project permit fee in the consolidated fee schedule.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Initiative Ordinance 2026-01, approved by voters at the July 21, 2026 election).
Full Breakdown
020 extends the chapter to streets, drainage ways, roads, alleys, sidewalks, bridges and public places. 070 creates four permit classes: a general permit for utilities with franchise agreements doing repetitive work such as above-ground appurtenances or buried service lines; a project permit for construction not covered by a general permit; a city-developed consent permit; and a citywide permit letting a property owner do work adjacent to their own residence. 070(C)(3)(e). 100 has the city engineer collect fees from the city's consolidated fee schedule, and a permit applied for after the fact, meaning after work already started, costs three times the standard project permit fee. 080, extendable by the city engineer, with work running past 180 days billed additional fees for each further 60-day increment. 060.
Violations & Fines
If the city engineer declares work deficient, the permittee has 15 days to fix it under SCC 12.05.070(C)(11); if not corrected in time, the city engineer corrects the deficiency directly and collects the full cost from the permittee. Beyond that, SCC 1.15.010 makes any city code violation a class 1 misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $2,500, up to six months in jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense, and a peace officer or code enforcement officer can issue a civil citation instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to dig or build in Sedona's right-of-way?
What happens if I do the work before getting a permit?
How long does a right-of-way permit last?
What if a contractor doesn't fix a problem the city engineer flags?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sedona
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