Muncie, IN Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Section 96.13, in Chapter 96's Division 2 on obstructions, targets two hazards at once: blocked sightlines for drivers entering an intersection and blocked passage for pedestrians on the sidewalk. Subsection (A) bars placing any sign or merchandise at or on a street corner in a way that obstructs a motorist's vision when legally entering the intersection. Subsection (B) sets a hard distance rule for goods: merchandise may be piled no closer than four feet from the curb or right-of-way. Subsections (C) and (D) regulate signposts near corners with a combined distance-and-height test: no more than one signpost, no greater than one foot in diameter, may stand closer than four feet to the curb or right-of-way at an intersection, and any sign that post carries must be mounted higher than eight feet off the ground; separately, no sign lower than eight feet off the ground may be placed within four feet of the curb or right-of-way at all, whether on a post or not.

Subsection (E) carves out an express exception for sidewalk days, the periodic downtown sales events, letting businesses put out pedestrian seating or merchandise displays that would otherwise run afoul of the section. The rule sits alongside § 96.10's ban on banners strung across streets and § 96.12's ban on signposts on the sidewalk itself, forming a single Chapter 96 scheme aimed at keeping intersections and walkways clear.