Cowlitz County, WA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

060, part of the right-of-way use chapter adopted by Ordinance 16-106, addresses obstructions and hazards within the county right-of-way in unincorporated Cowlitz County. Subsection A declares that whenever a structure, device, or natural or artificial thing exists on the roadway, or off the roadway close enough to threaten it, and that thing threatens or endangers the roadway, endangers travelers, or obstructs or tends to obstruct or hazard vehicles or persons traveling on it, the encroachment or use is a public nuisance and the county is empowered to abate it.

Before abating, the Department of Public Works must make a reasonable attempt under subsection B to notify the landowner of the duty to remove the nuisance, though failure to actually reach the landowner does not bar the county from acting to protect public health and safety. If the County Engineer determines a structure, device, or object is immediately or eminently dangerous to the traveling public, subsection C allows it to be removed at once as directed by the Board of County Commissioners, and that removal is not treated as a trespass or breach of the peace.

Subsection D targets logs or materials dumped on a county roadway, right-of-way, or drainage ditch from equipment failure or other causes; these must be removed immediately, and logs left after a reasonable notice attempt are confiscated and disposed of as the Board directs. 120(11).