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

Two provisions in Chapter Twelve work together to keep Worcester's sidewalks and streets clear. Section 25(b) sets the general rule: "No person shall stand, or place any obstruction of any kind, upon any street, sidewalk or crosswalk in such a manner as to obstruct a free passage for travelers thereon." That covers people, carts, sandwich boards, or anything else blocking the walking path.

Section 26(i) adds a bright-line numeric limit for personal property that is not a registered motor vehicle: it cannot occupy more than six square feet within the limits of any public way, and separately, regardless of size, it cannot occupy any area of a public way in a manner that impairs the health and safety of people traveling on the way, unless some other ordinance or law specifically permits that occupation. This subsection is what the department of public works and parks reaches for on sidewalk clutter, like stored furniture, construction materials left too long, or vendor displays that exceed the six-square-foot threshold. Section 26 also separately bars unlicensed bulletin boards and advertising signs in the street, itinerant musicians blocking a sidewalk to less than thirty-six inches of clear width, and standing in the street to sell goods or solicit business.

Both the general obstruction rule in Section 25 and the personal-property limit in Section 26(i) are enforced with a daily fine structure. Section 26(i) states directly that any violation is "penalized by a fine of twenty-five ($25.00) dollars with each calendar day constituting a separate offense," and the Chapter Fifteen fine schedule confirms the same $25 figure for both Section 25 obstruction and Section 26 prohibited-activities violations, with the commissioner of public works and parks as the enforcing officer.