Cincinnati, OH Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

' The section carves out only two exceptions, temporary use for lawful construction, and activity conducted under the rules of the division of sanitation. Every other sidewalk use permitted elsewhere in Chapter 723, from sidewalk vending carts (§ 723-16) to retail sidewalk displays (§ 723-12), outdoor dining areas (§ 723-14), and sandwich board signs (§ 723-9), exists only because those later sections carve a specific authorization out of this default ban. ' Together the two sections mean that anything placed in the public right-of-way in Cincinnati, sidewalk or street, needs either an express carve-out elsewhere in the chapter or a revocable street privilege issued under § 723-6, and unauthorized encumbrances can be ordered removed by the city.

Neither section requires the city to prove actual pedestrian obstruction; the mere presence of unauthorized goods or materials in the right-of-way is itself the violation.