Taunton, MA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Section 383-5 governs any private structure that physically projects into the public right-of-way above a street or sidewalk, including advertising devices, telephone booths and permanent awnings, treating that overhang as an encroachment that needs the City's consent rather than something an abutting owner may install on his own authority. The Municipal Council is the permitting body, but it will not act on a petition until the Building Commissioner has reviewed plans showing the proposed structure's size, type, and its method of attachment to the building, which lets the City confirm the projection will not create a hazard over pedestrian or vehicle traffic.

The $100 fee is payable in advance of issuance. Critically, the permit is not transferable: it applies only to the specific structure named in the petition, and the property owner cannot swap in a different sign or awning under the same permit without going back to the Municipal Council for express permission, so replacing an awning is treated as a new encroachment requiring its own approval. Because Chapter 383 does not attach its own fine to Section 383-5, a violation, projecting a structure over the sidewalk or street line without having first obtained this permit, falls back on the Revised Ordinances' general penalty for any section that sets no specific fine of its own.