Brockton, MA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Sec. 20-12 sets the general rule: no person may obstruct a sidewalk without a permit issued by the chief of police. The chapter backs that up with targeted physical restrictions. Sec. 20-8 bars clocks, marquees, permanent awnings, or similar structures from projecting more than 12 inches over a street or sidewalk without city council permission, and even a permitted structure cannot hang lower than eight feet from the ground or extend more than six feet over the sidewalk from the building face; projecting signs are separately governed by Sec.

27-65(4) of the zoning ordinance. Sec. 20-6 forbids leaving a coal hole or other aperture in a sidewalk open or unfastened except while actually in use. Sec. 20-9 requires cellar or basement entrances opening onto a street or sidewalk to stay covered by a substantial platform or grate at all times unless the board of highway commissioners authorizes it to be kept open temporarily, in which case a railing at least two and one-half feet high on both sides and lighting at night are mandatory.

Sec. 20-10 prohibits gates or doors on abutting premises from swinging over or into a street or sidewalk. Sec. 20-11 requires anyone digging a cellar or cavity near a street to keep a suitable railing or fence along the street line for as long as the excavation remains open. Together these sections give the chief of police and the board of highway commissioners direct authority over anything that narrows or blocks the public sidewalk, from a locked coal hatch to a permanent awning.