Thornton, CO Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Under Section 70-76 of the City Code, a police officer or code compliance officer 'may order any article, vehicle, or other encumbrance whatsoever blocking or preventing passage of any street, alley, sidewalk, parkway, or other public way or place to be removed.' This covers everything from parked trailers and construction debris to overgrown landscaping or stored materials that block pedestrian or vehicle passage.

Section 70-77 sets the process: if the encumbrance 'is not removed within a reasonable time after notice to the owner or person in charge thereof, such time to be specified in the notice, or if the owner or person in charge cannot be readily found for the purpose of serving such notice,' the officer causes the item to be removed to a suitable place. Section 70-78 authorizes officers to carry out removals under the article 'or by any other means in accordance with law,' and Section 70-80 makes the article supplemental to the Model Traffic Code adopted at Section 38-521, so a blocked sidewalk can also trigger a traffic-code citation.

Cost falls entirely on the responsible party. Section 70-79 states the owner of any removed encumbrance 'shall pay any and all fines or penalties in addition to the costs of such removal including any and all costs for storage.' There is no cap stated in the article; the bill covers whatever the city actually spends hauling, storing, and processing the item. These sections trace to Code 1975 Sections 61-22 through 61-26, most recently amended by Ordinance No. 2666 on June 18, 2001, which extended enforcement authority to code compliance officers alongside police.