Kent, WA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

KCC 6.07.030 states plainly that it shall be unlawful for anyone to use any public place for private purposes without having first obtained a street use permit from the director and without complying with all the provisions of the chapter. The chapter's definition of use in KCC 6.07.020 sweeps broadly: it covers erecting or storing a sidewalk cafe, food cart, staging, scaffold, or structure; moving a building across a public place; using or occupying a public place for the storage or placement of any material, equipment, or thing; and parking a vehicle on the roadway to sell or solicit from it. Any of those activities, done on a Kent street, sidewalk, planting strip, or other public right-of-way without a permit, is an obstruction the city can act against.

The permit is issued by the director of public works, who administers applications, sets indemnity deposits, surety bonds, and liability insurance requirements under KCC 6.07.140 and 6.07.150, and can deny, suspend, or revoke a permit on 30 days' notice whenever the applicant's private use conflicts with the public's use of the right-of-way, per KCC 6.07.180. A denied or revoked applicant can appeal to the hearing examiner within 10 days under KCC 6.07.190. Construction and property-development uses, such as staging materials for a building project, require their own separate street use permit under KCC 6.07.040 unless the work is limited to a single-family residence addition or the director determines a separate permit is unnecessary.