Abilene, TX Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Article II of Chapter 29 defines several categories of unlawful sidewalk and street obstructions. Section 29-22 sets height and setback limits: any awning or protrusion hanging less than eight feet above a sidewalk or parkway is an obstruction, and a wall-mounted awning can't project more than four feet behind the curb if it's under ten feet high, or more than two feet behind the curb if it's ten feet or taller. Vegetation gets its own limits: any bush, tree or plant in the parkway taller than two and a half feet above the gutter is an obstruction unless it's a single-trunk tree pruned clear of branches below seven feet over the ground and eight feet over a sidewalk, and any vegetation overhanging a street or alley must be pruned clear below thirteen and a half feet.

Any growth that blocks a driver's view of a traffic-control device is an obstruction regardless of height. Section 29-23 puts the Director of Traffic and Transportation in charge of enforcement: once notified of a violation, the responsible person gets ten days to fix or remove it. If nothing happens, Section 29-24 lets the City abate the obstruction itself and bill the property owner for the cost plus a penalty charge set by the City Council, and Section 29-25 turns an unpaid bill after thirty days into a lien on the property, second only to tax liens, accruing interest at ten percent a year.

Section 29-27 lets the Director skip the ten-day notice entirely and order immediate removal if the obstruction is an emergency or immediate hazard. Signs and billboards are expressly excluded from this article under Section 29-21.