Boca Raton, FL Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Section 25-9(1) flatly prohibits placing or maintaining pyramid-shaped cement or concrete curbstones, loose materials as defined in Sec. 23-188(2), concrete blocks, boulders, rocks, metal pipe, or any other sharp-edged or pointed object or obstruction in a public right-of-way, and it places an affirmative obligation on the real property owner immediately abutting that right-of-way to keep it free of these prohibited objects. Subsection (2) carves out a narrow exception for underground sprinkler systems, mailboxes, and dome-shaped concrete roadway-marker buttons, which may be installed and maintained in the right-of-way only in accordance with the city's Engineering Design Standards Manual; failing to install or maintain them per that manual is itself a code violation.

Subsection (3) then makes the default rule explicit for anything not already addressed: no object or obstruction may be placed in a public right-of-way without the abutting property owner first obtaining a permit from the city, regardless of how minor or inexpensive the placement or improvement is. The remedies provision in subsection (4) requires the abutting owner to correct a violation within 2 days of receiving notice under Sec. 2-123; after that 2-day window expires, the city may remove and dispose of the obstruction itself, is not responsible for storing or returning it, and can charge the removal cost to the owner as a lien on the property collected the same way as a tax lien.

The city manager or a designee can also order immediate removal of any object determined to be an imminent safety hazard, bypassing the 2-day notice period, and violations may be referred to the special magistrate or pursued through any other legal or equitable remedy available to the city.