Lynnwood, WA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- LMC 10.08.200(B)(7) and (B)(12)(a)
- Covers
- Unpermitted obstructions and overhanging vegetation
- Notice required
- 10 days written notice before abatement
- Enforced by
- Police chief, fire marshal, or development director
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $300 fine (LMC 10.08.070)
- Appeal
- Phase II Process, LMC 1.35.200
Summary
Lynnwood Municipal Code § 10.08.200 declares two kinds of sidewalk and right-of-way encroachment a public nuisance: unauthorized obstructions or excavations in streets and rights-of-way, and vegetation overhanging a sidewalk, street or alley in a way that creates a sight-distance hazard or impairs its full use. The city can order abatement and, on a property owner's failure to comply, remove the obstruction and bill the cost.
All obstructions to streets, rights-of-way, or other public ways in the city, and all excavations in or under the same, which are by ordinance prohibited, or which may be made without lawful permission, or which, having been made by lawful permission, are kept and maintained after the purpose thereof has been accomplished, or for an unreasonable length of time; ... Trees, plants, bushes, shrubs, vines, other vegetation or parts thereof which overhang any sidewalk, street, alley or other public way which are growing in such a manner as to cause a sight distance hazard or to obstruct or impair the full use of the sidewalk, street, alley or other public way are declared to be a public nuisance;
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3512, passed May 26, 2026).
Full Breakdown
200 lists more than 20 categories of conditions the city treats as a public nuisance, two of which govern encroachments into the sidewalk and public right-of-way. Subsection (B)(7) covers 'all obstructions to streets, rights-of-way, or other public ways in the city, and all excavations in or under the same,' reaching anything placed there without lawful permission, done under an ordinance-prohibited method, or left in place after a permit's purpose has been served or for an unreasonable length of time. Subsection (B)(12)(a) separately targets vegetation encroachment: trees, plants, bushes, shrubs, and vines that overhang a sidewalk, street, alley or other public way in a way that creates a sight-distance hazard or obstructs or impairs the full use of that public way are declared a nuisance in their own right, distinct from the broader vegetation-hazard clause that opens subsection (B)(12).
220, the city must give at least 10 days' written notice to the person responsible, the property owner, and any known occupant, describing the violation and the code sections at issue and a reasonable abatement deadline, except in cases of immediate necessity. 200. 070, punishable by up to a $300 fine, 90 days in jail, or both.
Violations & Fines
Maintaining a nuisance obstruction or overhanging encroachment under LMC 10.08.200 is a misdemeanor under LMC 10.08.070, punishable by up to a $300 fine, 90 days in jail, or both. Beyond the criminal penalty, the city can order abatement under LMC 10.08.220 after 10 days' written notice, and if the owner does not comply, the city may abate the encroachment itself and assess the cost under LMC 10.08.260.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as an illegal sidewalk obstruction in Lynnwood?
Can the city make me trim a tree that hangs over the sidewalk?
What happens if I don't fix the violation after notice?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lynnwood
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Obstruction Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Snohomish County handle obstruction rules.