West Palm Beach, FL Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Section 78-430 requires anyone who will obstruct or cause to be obstructed any street, sidewalk or other city right-of-way to notify the engineering services department 30 days before the obstruction begins, or as soon as reasonably possible if 30 days' notice cannot be given; the notice itself carries no fee. Section 78-431 then makes it unlawful to actually obstruct the right-of-way, or impede vehicular or pedestrian traffic on it, without first obtaining a permit under this article (or a sidewalk cafe permit under Article X, where applicable).

To obtain the permit, § 78-432(a) requires a complete application to the engineering services department, a signed indemnification agreement, a resolution-set fee where applicable, and, for any closure that will detour traffic, an FDOT Index 600 maintenance-of-traffic (MOT) plan, which must be signed and sealed by a Florida-registered engineer for closures with significant traffic impact. Section 78-433(1) caps a right-of-way permit at one year, with city commission approval required to extend beyond that or for high-profile or heavily trafficked locations. Section 78-433(5) requires the permittee to carry commercial general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence naming the city as an additional insured for the full permit term, and § 78-433(10) requires contractors doing the work to hold the applicable Florida license. Construction-related uses of the right-of-way, including cranes, roll-off containers, storage containers, materials and debris, must additionally meet the minimum construction-use standards referenced in § 78-434.