Piscataway, NJ Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Section 31-3.1, adopted by Ordinance No. 2017-14, prohibits placing structures, posts, poles, goods, wares, merchandise or any other articles of trade or sale on public sidewalks or within public rights-of-way in a way that blocks pedestrians or vehicles, and it closes any gap with a catch-all barring obstruction of sidewalks or rights-of-way 'in any other manner whatsoever.' The same ordinance carves out one narrow exception in Section 31-3.2: mailbox posts or stanchions may sit within the right-of-way if they follow United States Postal Service specifications, standing no more than four feet above ground, no more than 12 inches wide, and set back at least eight inches from the curbline or, where there is no curb, from the traveled roadway; a mailbox exceeding those limits is not a permitted structure and remains in the right-of-way at the owner's own risk.

Section 31-3.3 requires the Township to reimburse a resident up to $100 if Township plowing or snow-removal equipment destroys a properly placed mailbox and post, provided the owner reports the damage to the Department of Public Works within seven days and furnishes a repair or replacement receipt; damage caused only by the weight of plowed snow, rather than direct equipment contact, is not covered. This obstruction rule sits within Chapter 31, Streets and Sidewalks, alongside the Township's separate street-opening permit and house-numbering requirements.