Pasadena, CA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- PMC § 12.12.090
- Permit/license exception
- Exempt with prior city permit or license agreement
- Fuel-pump ban
- No gas/oil pumps in streets, alleys or public places
- Default penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine and/or 6 months jail (§ 1.24.020)
- Continuing violation
- Each day is a separate offense
Summary
Pasadena bars anyone from using a public sidewalk, street or alley to display goods, leave boxes or equipment, or set up a sales stand without a city permit or license agreement. Section 12.12.090 also separately bans installing gas or oil pumps in the public right-of-way.
A.It is unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to use or occupy any public sidewalk in the city for the display of goods, wares or merchandise, or to use the exterior walls of any building abutting upon any public sidewalk, street, alley or passageway, for the display of goods, wares or merchandise, or to leave any goods, wares or merchandise, boxes, barrels, trucks or other articles upon any street or public sidewalk or a portion thereof in the city, except as follows: for a use or activity for which a permit has been previously obtained from the city, or for a use under the terms of a valid license agreement with the city.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 79 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
090, part of the chapter's "obstruction abatement code," makes it unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to use or occupy a public sidewalk for the display of goods, wares or merchandise, to use the exterior walls of a building abutting a sidewalk, street, alley or passageway for such display, or to leave goods, boxes, barrels, trucks or other articles on a street or sidewalk. The same section separately bars occupying or obstructing a street, alley or sidewalk with a stand, box or equipment for the purpose of selling, soliciting, advertising, or giving a demonstration in connection with a sale, except where the person is merely traveling through and in motion.
Both prohibitions carry the identical exception: a use or activity under a permit previously obtained from the city, or under the terms of a valid license agreement with the city, is exempt. The chapter separately forbids, at subsection B, installing, maintaining or operating any oil or gasoline pump or other mechanical fuel-pumping device in, over or upon any street, alley or public place, a rule aimed at keeping fuel dispensing off the right-of-way entirely. 020: a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment up to six months, or both, unless the city attorney elects to prosecute it as an infraction instead.
Violations & Fines
Because Section 12.12.070's fixed penalty applies only to Sections 12.12.020-12.12.060, an unpermitted sidewalk obstruction under Section 12.12.090 defaults to the citywide misdemeanor penalty in Section 1.24.020: up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in jail, or both. The city attorney or city prosecutor may instead charge it as an infraction or civil administrative action under Section 1.24.010, and each day the obstruction continues counts as a separate offense under Section 1.24.030.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Pasadena business display merchandise on the sidewalk outside its store?
What is the penalty for blocking a Pasadena sidewalk with a sales stand?
Are gas pumps allowed in a Pasadena street or alley?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pasadena
California rules heatmap·Compare Pasadena to another location·View the California sidewalk & pedestrian rules overview
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Obstruction Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle obstruction rules.