Fort Lauderdale, FL Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Sec. 25-7(a) sets the default rule for every Fort Lauderdale street and sidewalk: unless a person holds a permit issued under Article III of Chapter 25 (the right-of-way permit process at Sec. 25-100), it is unlawful to erect, build, construct, deposit or place any building, structure or obstruction of any kind in a street or any place the public has a right to pass, or to enclose a street, park or other public property, without the express consent of the city commission. That single sentence covers everything from a fence built into a sidewalk to material dumped in a travel lane.

Sec. 25-7(b) gives the city manager a separate, narrower power: streets, alleys and sidewalks under city jurisdiction can be closed for up to 72 hours by the city manager's order, but only for rights-of-way that are not under another government's jurisdiction or tied up in a separate agreement, and only if vital public services and traffic safety are kept up during the closure. The chapter treats a structure that ends up abutting or encroaching on a public street, alley or sidewalk as a public nuisance in its own right under Sec.

25-8, punishable under Sec. 1-6, unless the city commission has specifically agreed to let the encroachment stay under Sec. 25-6. Separately, Sec. 25-9 requires any contractor or builder closing a street for construction to get a permit from the city engineer first, and that permit issues only if the work will not injure the public ways, unduly obstruct them, or endanger public safety.