West Bloomfield, MI Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Section 15-143, Loitering; obstruction in public place, addresses sidewalk and right-of-way obstruction in two related ways. Subsection (b) sets the general rule: it is unlawful for any person in a public place to obstruct the free and uninterrupted passage of the public after having been told to move on by a police officer, so the obstruction offense attaches once an officer has directed the person to move, rather than the instant someone blocks a path. Subsection (c) then targets obstruction tied to panhandling, making it unlawful for a person soliciting money or another valuable thing in a public place to obstruct the path of any person, obstruct the entrance to a building, parking area or vehicle, or obstruct any safety path, sidewalk, street or right-of-way, along with interfering with pedestrian or vehicular traffic flow, following a person who has walked away, or touching someone without consent.

Subsection (a) defines public place by cross-reference to Section 15-1, and subsection (d) expressly carves out private property, so the section reaches only Township-owned or Township-controlled sidewalks and rights-of-way, not a homeowner's front walk or a store's private plaza. The section, adopted by Ordinance No. 63A, Section 12, in 1974 and most recently amended by Ordinance No. C-788, Section 1, adopted March 24, 2014, sits in Chapter 15, Article V, Offenses Against Public Peace. Because it carries no dedicated fine, a violation defaults to the general misdemeanor penalty in Section 1-10(a).