O'Fallon, MO Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited act
- Encroaching onto a public sidewalk
- Removal cost
- Billed to the fronting owner/occupant
- Notice period
- 24 hours to remove obstruction
- Notice methods
- In person, by mail, or posted
- No owner identified
- City may remove it immediately
- Governing section
- O'Fallon Code § 215-207
Summary
O'Fallon Code § 215-207 bans encroachments onto public sidewalks and puts the cost of removing them on the owner or occupant of the property the sidewalk fronts. A Police Officer or Code Enforcement Officer who spots an obstruction serves a 24-hour notice to remove it, delivered in person, by mail, or posted on the item itself. If the obstruction cannot be tied to an owner or tenant, the Police Department may remove it immediately without waiting out the notice period.
A. Encroachments into and upon sidewalks are prohibited and the expense of removal of such encroachments shall be the owners or occupants of ground fronting thereon. B. The Police Officer/Code Enforcement Officer who observes a sidewalk obstruction in violation of this Section shall serve a twenty-four-hour notice to remove the obstruction. This may be done personally, by United States mail or by posting notice on or near the obstruction. C. Such obstruction unrelated to the property owner or tenant can be removed forthwith by the Police Department upon determination by a Police Officer/Code Enforcement Officer.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4860992; v58 updated 2026-05-14; through 05-14-2026).
Full Breakdown
207 was added by Ord. No. 1632 §§ 2-5 on September 20, 1988 and carried forward from the 2007/2008 recodifications. Subsection (A) states the basic prohibition: encroachments into and upon sidewalks are prohibited, and the expense of removing them falls on the owners or occupants of the ground fronting thereon. That cost-shifting matters practically, since the City does not absorb the expense of clearing a sidewalk obstruction placed by an adjoining owner or tenant. S. Postal Service, or simply posted on or near the obstruction itself, whichever is practical for the officer on site.
Subsection (C) gives the City a faster option where no responsible owner or tenant can be identified: the Police Department can remove that unrelated obstruction forthwith, meaning immediately, once an officer makes the determination, rather than running the 24-hour notice clock. 205, and like that section it does not set its own dollar fine, so a citation for failing to remove an encroachment after the 24-hour notice period is punished under Chapter 100's general penalty.
Violations & Fines
Failing to remove a sidewalk encroachment within the 24-hour notice period issued under § 215.207(B) is punished under the Code's general penalty, § 100.010(A): a fine of up to $500.00, imprisonment of up to three months, or both, with each additional day of the encroachment counted as a separate offense under § 100.010(B). Where no owner or tenant is identifiable, the Police Department may remove the obstruction immediately under Subsection (C) at the responsible party's expense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who pays to remove something blocking an O'Fallon sidewalk?
How much warning does O'Fallon give before removing a sidewalk obstruction?
Can the City just remove a sidewalk obstruction without notice?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in O'Fallon
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