Bessemer, AL Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Article VI of Chapter 94 pairs a flat prohibition with a technical installation standard. Section 94-172 states no person shall erect or construct upon any sidewalk any showcase or device for advertising purposes, or place any obstruction of any kind or nature on a sidewalk at all, a rule with no permit exception, unlike the general obstruction permit the police chief can issue under section 94-171. Section 94-173 then turns to utility fixtures: gas meters, water meter boxes, cutoffs, pipes and other appliances placed in a sidewalk or street must sit on an exact grade so they do not project above the surface or become an obstruction, and they must be placed within 12 inches of the curb or curbline.

Any appliance that does not meet that standard 'may be condemned, as other nuisances are condemned and removed,' folding a utility-placement defect into the Code's general nuisance-abatement power. The surrounding sections extend the same theme: section 94-174 requires water and gas service lines to be buried at least 18 inches below grade and gasoline or oil tanks at least two and one-half feet down, and section 94-175 bars leaving a cellar or vault opening under a sidewalk open when not in actual use or at night. Together these sections treat the sidewalk surface as public safety infrastructure that private fixtures may not compromise.