Somerville, MA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

" The provision traces back to the 1963 Code and was last touched by the 2021 codification update effective April 16, 2021. It works alongside a cluster of related sidewalk-clutter rules in the same chapter: section 12-5 caps how long wood, coal or other articles can sit on a footpath (two hours, or one hour after a police or highway official orders removal); section 12-3 bars dropping or dumping rubbish, ashes, glass and similar debris on any street, sidewalk or public place; and section 12-18 separately covers vehicles, obstacles or articles left on a sidewalk or roadway overnight, which needs its own permit and a $1,000 bond.

Section 12-12's fix is the general catch-all: any material left obstructing a sidewalk or street crossing without commissioner authorization is unlawful, whether or not it falls into a more specific category covered elsewhere in the chapter. A contractor storing building material curbside, a resident stacking firewood on the sidewalk, or a business piling boxes at the curb all need a public works permit to do so lawfully.