Simi Valley, CA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permitting authority
- Director of Public Services
- Violation
- Misdemeanor under SVMC 7-1.205
- Application
- Written, on city forms, plus hold-harmless statement
- Trenching threshold
- CAL-OSHA permit required over 5 feet deep
- Traffic delay limit
- Denied if delay exceeds 15 minutes at peak hours
- Ag exemption
- Abutting farmers may use shoulder without a permit
Summary
Simi Valley requires an encroachment permit from the Director of Public Services before anyone builds, places, or moves anything in a public right-of-way, from curbs and driveways to signs, fences, and street trees. Doing the work without one is a misdemeanor under Municipal Code section 7-1.205. A narrow agricultural exemption lets abutting farmers use the unpaved shoulder for crops without a permit.
Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, every person shall obtain a permit from the Director of Public Services to do any of the following: (a)Move, or cause to be moved, on, over, along, or across any street any load or vehicle as defined in Article 1 of this chapter;(b)Make, or cause to be made, any excavation or encroachment in any street;(c)Place, change, or renew an encroachment...(d)Place, construct, or repair any curb, gutter, sidewalk, driveway, pavement, base course, retaining wall, storm drain, culvert, pipe, conduit, cable, or other work of a similar nature in, over, along, across, or through any street;...(h)Erect or maintain any post, sign, banner, pole, fence, guard rail, wall, loading platform, or any other structure on, over, under, or within a right-of-way;...Any person who does any act set forth in this section without the authority of an encroachment permit shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 51).
Full Breakdown
205, part of the city's Encroachment Law, anyone who wants to move an oversized load or vehicle on a street, excavate or place an encroachment, build or repair a curb, gutter, sidewalk, driveway, retaining wall, storm drain, or similar work, install a street light, erect a post, sign, banner, pole, fence, guard rail, wall, or loading platform, plant or remove a tree or shrub in the right-of-way, burn weeds or debris there, use the right-of-way for commercial photography or seismic exploration, run traffic counts that require excavation, or discharge water onto a street must first get a permit from the Director of Public Services. 208). 209). 212). 216). peak periods. 205(c), so long as traffic and drainage are not blocked.
Violations & Fines
Doing any of the listed encroachment work, from building a driveway to erecting a fence or removing a street tree, without a permit is a misdemeanor under section 7-1.205. Unpermitted encroachments that fall under the narrow agricultural exemption but interfere with traffic or drainage lose that protection and become subject to removal, and to the civil penalties in California Streets and Highways Code sections 1481 through 1485, which the city enforces through the Director of Public Works.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to put a fence or sign in the Simi Valley right-of-way?
What happens if my encroachment work delays traffic?
Can farmers use the road shoulder without an encroachment permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Simi Valley
California rules heatmap·Compare Simi Valley to another location·View the California sidewalk & pedestrian rules overview
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Encroachment Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Ventura County handle encroachment permits.