Broomfield, CO Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Municipal Code § 9-40-020, in the Obstructing Passage chapter, prohibits any person without legal privilege from intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly obstructing a highway, street, sidewalk, railway, waterway, building entrance, elevator, aisle, stairway, or hallway to which the public or a substantial group has access, or any other place used for passage of persons, vehicles, or conveyances, whether the obstruction comes from that person's acts alone or combined with others'. A companion clause makes it unlawful to disobey a reasonable request or order to move issued by someone the person knows, or reasonably should know, to be a peace officer, firefighter, or a person with authority over the premises, when the order is meant to prevent an obstruction of a passageway or to disperse people gathered dangerously close to a fire, riot, or other hazard.

Section 9-40-010 defines obstruct to mean rendering a passage impassable, or unreasonably inconvenient or hazardous to use, which extends the rule beyond total blockage to include partial impediments like furniture, merchandise displays, or parked equipment left across a sidewalk. The chapter dates to Ord. 292 §7, adopted in 1977, and is enforced by the Broomfield Police Department; a related offense, hindering transportation under § 9-40-030, separately covers forcibly stopping a vehicle providing transportation services.