Westfield, IN Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Sec. 34-35 of the Westfield City Code places an affirmative duty on "persons owning or occupying property" to keep all publicly owned sidewalks and the gutters next to sidewalks and streets "clear of litter, goods, wares, merchandise, boxes, trash receptacles, automobiles and obstructions of any nature." The duty sits inside Division 1 of Chapter 34, Environment, alongside related bans on throwing or depositing litter on any street, sidewalk or public place except in a receptacle (Sec. 34-32), sweeping litter from a building, lot or driveway into a gutter or street (Sec.

34-34), and stacking a truck load so it drops debris on a public way (Sec. 34-37). Read together, the sidewalk section reaches anything left in the public right-of-way abutting a home or business, from a parked car or trash can to stacked merchandise or construction boxes, not only loose trash. Sec. 34-43 classifies violations of the whole litter article, including Sec. 34-35, as class C infractions under IC 34-4-32-4, exposing a violator to a judgment of up to $500.00, and specifies that paying the fine does not excuse or allow the violation to continue.

Each day an obstruction remains counts as a new, separate offense, so an owner who leaves a trash receptacle or vehicle on the public sidewalk for a week can be cited for each day it sits there.