Grand Forks, ND Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Section 16-0402 opens Article 4, Encroachments, Obstructions and Excavations, with a broad list-based ban rather than a general catch-all: it is unlawful to obstruct a street, avenue, alley, sidewalk, gutter, public park, or other highway with timber, lumber, wood, coal, brick, tin clippings, rubbish, filth, stone, earth, manure, brush, boxes, crates, barrels, shavings, or any other material, article, or commodity. The section carves out one exception inside that same sentence: earth, gravel, ashes, or cinders may still be deposited on a street, alley, avenue, or highway, which matters for anyone doing landscaping or driveway fill work near the right-of-way.

A second, separate prohibition in the same section targets yard waste specifically: no person, agent, servant, or employee may place grass or other material cut or raked from a lawn or berm onto any paved city street, a rule aimed at keeping mowing debris out of the storm drain system and off through traffic. This obstruction ban sits alongside related Article 4 provisions covering merchandise placed on sidewalks (§ 16-0403), buildings, fences, and other structures erected on public rights-of-way (§ 16-0310, carried forward as part of the article's general obstruction scheme), and the excavation permit system for anyone digging in the right-of-way. Because § 16-0402 does not carry its own dollar penalty, a violation falls back to the citywide general penalty provision.