Pismo Beach, CA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Section 12.32.020 of the Pismo Beach Municipal Code makes two separate acts unlawful. Subsection A bars any encroachment into the public right-of-way without a permit issued under Chapter 12.32. Subsection B reaches everyday obstructions: no person shall leave, place or cause to be placed any personal property upon any sidewalk, gutter, alley or street in the city without first obtaining an encroachment permit authorizing it. The definition in § 12.32.015 lists construction materials, trash dumpsters, portable toilets, furnishings, produce, merchandise, store boxes, signs, and any other object or implement of any class, kind or character, so a dumpster and a merchant's sign fall under the same rule. The one carve-out is that the section does not prohibit parking of bicycles and vehicles where otherwise allowed.

Width rules sit in two places. Every permit issued under § 12.32.030 must expressly limit the property to the frontage of the merchant's own place of business and must state that a minimum sidewalk width of five feet stays clear of any obstruction at all times. Section 12.32.130 adds a pedestrian-safety review for any encroachment that reduces the usable sidewalk: in residential areas a minimum of four feet must be clear for pedestrian passage unless the Director waives it, and on sidewalks with high pedestrian activity the Director decides how much width an encroachment can block. Encroachments cannot touch street furniture or street trees, cannot restrict pedestrian access to parked vehicles, buses in bus loading zones or the access points of abutting property, and cannot be allowed where the Director considers them a hazard to vehicles or pedestrians.

Abandoned or inoperative property has its own clock under § 12.32.100(B). It must be removed from the right-of-way within five days. Anything left longer can be removed by the city and stored for up to thirty days, and property nobody claims is disposed of as unclaimed property. If the item is an immediate threat to public health and safety, as determined by the city manager or designee, it can be removed at once and stored for up to thirty days, with written notice mailed to the permittee at the address on the permit application.