Cheektowaga, NY Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit authority
- Town Board
- Violation fine
- up to $100
- Violation classification
- Disorderly conduct
- Enforcing agency
- Cheektowaga Police Dept.
- Removal cost
- Billed to installer/owner
Summary
Cheektowaga bans placing a turn-off box, water meter, basketball hoop or any similar obstruction in the traveled part of a street, sidewalk, or the space between sidewalk and curb, without a Town Board permit. Installing one anyway is disorderly conduct with a fine up to $100.
No turn-off box, water meter, basketball hoop or similar apparatus or appliance or device of a similar nature, or obstruction of any kind, except a water hydrant, shall be placed in the traveled portions of the highway, sidewalk or space between the sidewalk and the traveled part of the highway, including the space between the sidewalk and the curb, except as hereinafter provided. ... Any person, firm or corporation who shall install a turn off box, water meter, appliance or device of a similar nature in the traveled portion of the highway, sidewalk or space between the sidewalk and traveled part of the highway, including the space between the sidewalk and the curb, without having obtained a permit to do so from the Town Board, shall be guilty of disorderly conduct and shall be subject to a fine of not to exceed $100.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4996449; v35 updated 2026-05-26; through 05-26-2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 210-21 prohibits placing any turn-off box, water meter, basketball hoop or similar apparatus, appliance, device or obstruction of any kind, except a water hydrant, in the traveled portions of a highway or sidewalk, or in the space between the sidewalk and the traveled roadway, including the strip between sidewalk and curb, unless a permit has been obtained. Section 210-22 gives the Town Board authority to grant a construction permit for such a device on terms that protect public use of the sidewalk and highway, but only where conditions make it impractical to install the item elsewhere. Any permit granted is conditioned on the Town's right of entry: § 210-24 lets any town officer, employee, or the water supplier's authorized representative enter the premises to turn the appliance on or off, inspect, repair, replace or remove it. Enforcement of § 210-21 was assigned specifically to the Cheektowaga Police Department in 2015 under § 210-24.1.
Violations & Fines
Installing a covered appliance or device without a permit is treated as disorderly conduct under § 210-25, punishable by a fine of up to $100. Beyond that fine, § 210-26 lets the Town remove the unauthorized obstruction itself and charge the removal expense to the person who installed it, with the abutting property owner also liable for that expense, recoverable either by legal action or by a local assessment levied and collected against the premises like other town assessments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a basketball hoop in the road right-of-way in Cheektowaga?
What happens if I install an unpermitted obstruction in the sidewalk area?
Who enforces the sidewalk obstruction ban in Cheektowaga?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cheektowaga
New York rules heatmap·Compare Cheektowaga to another location·View the New York sidewalk & pedestrian rules overview
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Obstruction Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Erie County handle obstruction rules.