Nassau County, FL Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Nassau County Code § 25-9, effective September 16, 1971, makes it unlawful for any person, firm, corporation, or governmental agency to disturb, excavate, block, obstruct, tamper with, or place any obstruction, construction or other material on or upon a county-maintained road without first getting a permit from the office of the county engineer. Because the section names 'any person, firm, corporation or governmental agency or authority,' it binds contractors, utilities and other government bodies working in the unincorporated county, not just private residents. The section also lets the county remove any culvert or other obstruction placed on a county road before the required approval was obtained.

Anyone who does hold a permit must notify the county engineer's office of the date the work will begin before starting, and stays liable to the county for any loss or damage caused by failing to follow the permit's terms. The section predates the county's later Article II right-of-way permitting scheme (§§ 25-31 through 25-37, adopted 1997), which separately governs non-excavation uses like parking, driveways and utility lines within road rights-of-way; § 25-9 is the standalone excavation/obstruction permit and penalty provision that has stood since 1971 and applies countywide to any county-maintained road, not just those inside a formal right-of-way corridor.