Irondequoit, NY Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Chapter 199 of the Town of Irondequoit Code, the Right-of-Way Law of the Town of Irondequoit, was adopted 2-26-2002 as L.L. No. 4-2002. Section 199-3 defines the right-of-way as land owned by the state, county or Town that is occupied or intended to be occupied by a road, sidewalk or utility lines, and it says the right-of-way includes the road, the sidewalk and the grass area. That definition is why a sidewalk, and the strip beside it, is protected space in the Town of Irondequoit.

The definition of obstruction in § 199-3 is long: lumber, wood or logs, rocks, pipes, wooden posts, building materials and supplies, abandoned machines, vehicles or implements, fences, buildings or structures, earth, stone, vegetation, snow, athletic equipment or other material within the boundaries of a highway. Leaf and brush piles can stay on the right-of-way only the week of the regularly scheduled pickup, and refuse collection is covered separately in Chapter 192. Section 199-2 gives the Town's reasons: obstructions block the view of pedestrians and motorists, damage Town tree root systems, lawns and the roadway, and create an attractive nuisance to children. Under § 199-5, the right-of-way cannot be paved or stoned without written approval from the Commissioner of Public Works/Superintendent of Highways.

Chapter 198, the Street, Highway and Public Places Ordinances, adds a second layer. Section 198-4 says no person can make or create an obstruction within the bounds of any street or highway without a permit, and each owner or occupant of land along a street must remove obstructions placed there by or with the consent of that owner or occupant. The Commissioner can issue a permit for a temporary obstruction for no more than thirty days unless the Town Board specifically authorizes longer, and the applicant must file a bond with the Town Clerk in an amount not less than $2,000.

Section 199-15 exempts ordinary yard care: application of a liquid seal coating or patch to a driveway, mowing, fertilization and general maintenance, and the collection of yard debris.