Upland, CA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- UMC § 12.16.010
- Permit exception authority
- Chief of Police, § 12.16.030
- Exempt activity
- Casual/occasional handling of goods
- Property owner duty
- Keep adjoining sidewalk clear, § 12.16.050
- Right-of-way clearance
- Immediate removal after notice
- Default penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine / 6 months jail
Summary
Upland bars using any sidewalk or public street to deposit, exhibit, or sell goods, or to leave merchandise or fixtures sitting on the right-of-way, under Municipal Code § 12.16.010, except for permitted sidewalk vendors under Chapter 5.76 and merely casual, occasional handling of goods.
Other than sidewalk vendors operating in compliance with Chapter 5.76, no person shall use any portion of any sidewalk or part of any public street within the city for the deposit, exhibition, or sale of goods or for any like or comparable purpose; and no person shall permit any goods, wares, merchandise, fixtures, or other property owned, consigned to, or controlled by that person to be or remain upon any portion of any sidewalk or part of any public street in the city, save temporarily as set forth in Section 12.16.020, unless expressly permitted by other ordinance or regulation of the city.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4480959; v4 updated 2025-09-22).
Full Breakdown
76. 020 carves out an exemption for merely casual and occasional handling or receiving of goods, but bars merchants from routinely using the sidewalk in front of their stores for loading or unloading when there is reasonable access from an adjacent alley. 030 further requires a permit from the chief of police for any use of the streets to display or exhibit goods (other than licensed vending or merely casual, brief use), with the chief authorized to set conditions related to traffic safety and public convenience, and to cancel a permit for violation.
050 to keep the streets, gutters, alleys, and sidewalks adjoining their property free of debris, vegetation, or accumulations that encroach on the right-of-way or impede traffic. 110(G), in the camping and storage of personal property chapter, bars anyone from obstructing a public or private right-of-way with their person or personal property in a way that creates a health and safety risk or significantly impedes pedestrians, and authorizes the city to order immediate removal and impound noncompliant property.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 12.16 carries no separate penalty clause, so unlawfully displaying, exhibiting, or leaving goods on a sidewalk or street is enforced as a misdemeanor under the citywide default in § 1.16.010, punishable by a fine up to $1,000, imprisonment up to six months, or both, with each day a separate offense under § 1.16.030. Under § 12.46.110, a right-of-way obstruction is separately declared a public nuisance, and failure to remove an obstruction after notice from an enforcement official is itself unlawful, with the offending property subject to impoundment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a store display merchandise on the sidewalk outside its door in Upland?
Is there any way to get permission to display goods on the street?
Who is responsible for keeping the sidewalk clear in front of a property?
What happens if someone blocks a sidewalk with personal belongings?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Upland
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Obstruction Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle obstruction rules.