Waukegan, IL Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Sec. 18-2(a) requires a permit issued by the city council before anyone erects or maintains a fruit stand, lunch stand, lunch wagon, flower stand, bulletin board, table, box, bin, rack, showcase, platform or any similar structure on a street, sidewalk or other public place for selling goods or pursuing an occupation. Subsection (b) separately bars using any public sidewalk to store goods, merchandise or signage of any kind, except temporarily while loading or unloading. Subsection (c) narrows that loading and unloading exception further: goods being received or delivered cannot sit on the sidewalk or in the street for more than 30 minutes, and the person must keep at least four feet of the sidewalk's width clear of obstructions for pedestrians even during that window.

Subsection (d) gives the city a direct remedy: if merchandise or other matter is left on or overhanging a sidewalk for more than 30 minutes without the Sec. 18-2(a) permit, the director of public works or the city's health inspector can have it removed at the expense of whoever placed it there. Because the encroachment permit runs through the city council rather than a department director, a merchant who wants a standing sidewalk display, such as an outdoor rack or sandwich board stand, needs council approval before installing it, not just a routine staff sign-off.