Spokane Valley, WA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

SVMC § 9.50.010 requires a right-of-way permit from any person or entity performing construction work or otherwise engaging in activity that creates an obstruction within existing City rights-of-way, easements, or other City-owned property reserved for the traveling public. Three exemptions apply: work done by or for the City itself; work lasting two hours or less that keeps at least 10 feet of travel width in each direction on a nonarterial street, doesn't close any lane on an arterial street, involves no excavation in the right-of-way, and involves no cutting or placement of pavement, sidewalks, curbs, or gutters; and owner- or tenant-performed residential landscaping maintenance kept outside the roadway, though placing any structure, plant, or landscaping material within the right-of-way is itself a nuisance enforceable under Chapter 7.05 SVMC.

Permits issued between April 1 and September 30 are valid for 30 days with one 30-day extension available under § 9.50.020; those issued October 1 through March 31 run until the following April 30, with one or more 30-day extensions available at the city engineer's discretion. Emergency repairs can start before a permit issues, but SVMC § 9.50.030 requires the responsible utility or party to obtain the permit within 48 hours of starting work or by the next City business day after that period. Applicants must also carry commercial general liability insurance of at least $2,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate naming the City as an additional insured under § 9.50.120, and must indemnify the City under § 9.50.130.