Sanford, FL Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Section 54-3, originally adopted as Ordinance No. 899 in 1967 and carried forward from the 1973 Code, § 18-25, provides that 'except as otherwise specifically provided, public property shall be maintained clear of any and all obstructions, including, among others, posts, columns, display of wares or merchandise, and signs.' The section sits in Chapter 54, 'Miscellaneous Offenses,' alongside related sidewalk rules such as § 54-4's ban on spitting or throwing litter on sidewalks and § 54-5's ban on riding bicycles or skateboards on sidewalks in commercially zoned areas, both cross-referenced to Chapter 94, 'Streets, Sidewalks and Other Public Places.' Because § 54-3 applies 'except as otherwise specifically provided,' it yields to other code sections that expressly authorize a use of public property, such as a permitted special event or a licensed peddler's vehicle under § 54-7.

Absent such an exception, a merchant who sets a display rack, sign or sample table on a public sidewalk, or anyone who places posts or columns encroaching onto public property, is in violation. No separate penalty is stated in § 54-3 itself, so the general Sanford City Code penalty in § 1-7 applies: a fine of up to $500.00, imprisonment for up to 60 days, or both, and each day the obstruction continues is treated as a separate offense.