Irvington, NJ Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Section 380-30 sits in Chapter 380's Clean Communities article, the same Article II that governs litter receptacles and yard parking, and it places the maintenance duty on whoever is 'in charge' of the building, not just the record owner, so a tenant or property manager can be cited directly alongside or instead of the landlord. The obstruction duty covers the sidewalk and curb abutting the building, meaning the strip of public right-of-way in front of the lot rather than any interior walkway, and it reaches both physical obstructions and 'nuisances of every kind,' a broad phrase that lets code enforcement act on hazards beyond simple litter, such as blocked access or debris left after work on the property.

The companion duty to keep sidewalks, areaways, backyards, courts and alleys free of litter and 'other offensive material' extends the same responsibility onto the property itself, not just the public walk. Enforcement runs through § 380-31's schedule of fines, which lists § 380-30 by name with its own four-tier fine track, separate from the general Chapter 1 penalty that many other Township Code articles default to. The provision has been part of the codified Clean Communities Program since it was adopted by Ord. No. MC 2894 in 1989, and it operates alongside § 380-29's ban on letting construction debris accumulate where it could blow onto neighboring property, so a contractor working on a building bears an obstruction duty on the sidewalk under § 380-30 in addition to the debris-containment duty under § 380-29.