Palm Beach Gardens, FL Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Section 62-5(a), titled 'Placement of structures; landscaping,' makes it unlawful for any person to 'block, fence, or in any way attempt to appropriate to their own use any right-of-way, public street, or sidewalk within the city.' The only exceptions are temporary or partial closures of specific roadway classes approved by city council resolution, a special event permit under section 78-187, a right-of-way permit under section 62-4, or an administrative finding that a closure serves a public purpose. Subsection (b) reaches beyond outright blocking to cover landscaping, aboveground sprinkler systems, signs, concrete blocks, and cement curbstones placed in the right-of-way: if the city engineer or a designee determines that any of these creates a road or traffic hazard, injures pedestrians, or alters the swale's intended stormwater flow, the item must be removed unless a right-of-way permit specifically authorizes it.

Subsection (c) exempts a short list of structures from needing a permit at all, including USPS-approved mailboxes and posts, city-approved traffic control devices, city-approved modular newsracks under article V, division 14 of the land development regulations, and turnouts or culverts approved under section 62-146. Because chapter 62 does not set its own fine, an obstruction that is not removed on notice falls back on the citywide general penalty in section 1-18, and the responsible property owner can still be ordered to restore the right-of-way at their own expense.