Clinton Township, MI Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Section 1022.03 treats obstruction as part of the same maintenance duty that covers repair. Subsection (b) requires the paved sidewalk, bike path, or hike/bike trail contiguous to a property to be kept free of deposits of debris, rubbish, or other objects, including vegetation growing between cracks or within the walking surface. Subsection (d) separately bars obstruction or encroachment from adjacent property, naming vegetation, tree limbs, and bushes specifically. Subsection (e) adds a sight-distance rule: the walk must stay clear of obstructions from adjacent property that interfere with sight lines at driveways and intersecting sidewalks, measured as a sight triangle using a 15-foot base leg from the obstruction to any sidewalk or driveway.

As with repair duties, the record owner, determined from Township tax rolls or the Macomb County Register of Deeds, is responsible, and multiple owners or occupants of the same parcel are jointly and severally liable for an obstruction. If an owner fails to clear an encroachment after Township notice under Section 1022.11, the Department of Public Works can remove it and assess the cost to the property over a five-year period, collected like delinquent property taxes with interest and penalties. Continuing obstructions can also be treated as a nuisance the Township abates in court, or enjoined, under Section 1022.16.