Richardson, TX Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Section 22-2 targets the parkway strip between the property line and the curbline, the area that includes the sidewalk: owners and occupants may not place, maintain or allow any object, tree, shrub or other vegetation there in a way that obstructs the public's free passage. Section 22-3 adds a specific five-foot no-planting buffer around fire hydrants so trees or plants don't block access in an emergency. On the vehicle side, section 22-149 defines the sidewalk area as the entire space between the curbline (or roadway edge) and the adjacent property line, regardless of whether it's paved in concrete, gravel or otherwise, and bars stopping, standing or parking a vehicle there except when necessary to avoid a traffic conflict or when directed by a police officer or traffic-control device.

The traffic engineer also has authority under section 22-41 to remove or order the trimming of trees, plants or vegetation that violate this article. These sidewalk-obstruction rules sit in chapter 22's general traffic provisions rather than in the separate sidewalk-construction chapter 20, reflecting that the concern here is unobstructed public passage rather than the pavement's physical condition.