Roseville, CA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Municipal Code Section 13.12.010 makes it unlawful for any person to "use or occupy any part of any street, sidewalk or alley in the city for the purpose of keeping, storing or displaying any goods, wares or merchandise, signs or advertisements, crates, boxes, refuse or rubbish, or otherwise to encroach" on them in the conduct of a business. The default rule is that streets, sidewalks and alleys "shall at all times be kept clear and unobstructed," though the superintendent of public works can issue a permit for temporary obstructions tied to construction work, on whatever conditions he prescribes, and permits for gasoline pumps or similar fixed structures can remain until the city council orders otherwise.

A companion provision, Section 13.12.020, separately bars interfering with free passage of persons or vehicles on any public street, way or sidewalk through parades or processions, loafing, loitering, congregating, selling or demonstrating goods, staging a show or exhibition, or holding a meeting or speech there, once a peace officer has asked the person to disperse or move on; processions, parades and meetings held under a valid permit issued under Chapter 9.37 are exempted. The same section separately prohibits sitting, lying or sleeping on any highway, alley, sidewalk or crosswalk open to pedestrian travel, with exceptions for physical disability, viewing a legally conducted parade, or sitting on a lawfully installed bench.

Section 13.12.030 allows the city council to grant a sidewalk-use permit in commercially zoned areas for special events, capped at four per calendar year, only with the property owner's written consent and only if free pedestrian passage never requires stepping into the street.