Anaheim, CA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Anaheim's Streets and Sidewalks ordinance (AMC Title 10) codifies the common-law rule that public sidewalks must remain open for pedestrian travel. Prohibited obstructions include merchandise displays outside storefronts without a permit, A-frame and sandwich-board signs unless the area has an approved sign program, overgrown hedges and tree limbs below 8 feet over a sidewalk or 14 feet over a street, construction dumpsters placed without an encroachment permit, and parked vehicles or bicycles blocking a walk. The Americans with Disabilities Act Title II accessibility guidelines set the minimum required clear sidewalk width at 48 inches (passing spaces of 60 inches every 200 feet on narrower walks) and Anaheim applies this as the baseline clearance for any permitted or unpermitted object on a sidewalk. Food trucks, dining patios, and sidewalk vendors each have their own permit process, but none can reduce the ADA path below 48 inches. Property owners must keep landscape vegetation trimmed back to the property line and off the walk surface; failure to do so can trigger abatement by the city at the owner's cost under the nuisance provisions of AMC Title 6 and Title 10. Construction projects that must temporarily occupy a sidewalk need an encroachment permit and pedestrian protection (covered canopy or safe detour) per California Building Code Chapter 33. Administrative fines for obstruction violations typically start at around 100 dollars and escalate for repeat offenses.