Chandler, AZ Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required for
- Any sign, furniture or obstruction on ROW
- Fine for blocking sidewalk access
- $300 per day minimum
- Fine for imminent safety risk
- $1,800 per day
- Permit issuer
- Chandler Public Works Department
- Governing section
- City Code § 46-2
Summary
Chandler bars anyone from placing a sign, booth, furniture or other obstruction on a public sidewalk, street or right-of-way without a City encroachment permit. Rendering a sidewalk inaccessible without following the Traffic Barricade Manual carries a $300-per-day civil infraction under City Code Section 46-1.8.
46-2. - Encroachment permit required. A. No person shall encroach nor place any encroachment upon, over or under the surface of any public place, highway, right-of-way, pathway, street, sidewalk, driveway, curb, gutter, paving or other surface or subsurface drainage structure or facility for any purpose whatsoever, without first obtaining a permit from the City in accordance with the provisions set forth herein... C. No person shall erect, place, display, maintain or use any obstruction, booth, stand, counter, furniture, sign, flag or temporary or permanent fixture upon any public place, highway, street, sidewalk, alley or other public right-of-way, for any purpose whatsoever, without first obtaining a permit from the City in accordance with the provisions set forth herein.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 79).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 46 of the Chandler City Code, retitled by Ordinance No. 5115 in January 2025, governs any private use of City right-of-way. 3 defines 'encroach' broadly enough to cover obstructing a sidewalk: it includes constructing or placing any pipe, conduit, wire, cable or facility on, over or under a public place, street, sidewalk, driveway, curb or gutter, and constructing, placing, planting or maintaining any structure, embankment, excavation or other object adjacent to a right-of-way that causes an encroachment. C separately bars erecting, placing, displaying, maintaining or using any obstruction, booth, stand, counter, furniture, sign, flag, or temporary or permanent fixture on a public sidewalk, street, alley or right-of-way without a permit.
D. 8's civil infraction schedule prices specific right-of-way violations by the day: rendering a sidewalk inaccessible, or closing a bike lane or shared-use path, without following the City's Traffic Barricade Manual carries a three-hundred-dollar-per-day infraction, while an act that creates an imminent risk of death, harm or injury and isn't fixed within twenty-four hours of notice carries an eighteen-hundred-dollar-per-day infraction.
Violations & Fines
General right-of-way violations carry a civil infraction of not less than three hundred dollars nor more than two thousand five hundred dollars, with the three-hundred-dollar minimum unwaivable, under Section 46-1.8.D.2, and each day of continued violation counts as a separate offense; the City Manager can also suspend the related permit for thirty days, or ninety days for a false or misleading permit application, under Section 46-1.8.C.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a sandwich-board sign on the sidewalk in Chandler?
What's the fine for blocking a sidewalk in Chandler?
Who issues right-of-way encroachment permits in Chandler?
Sources & Official References
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