Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules in Indiana (2026)
59 rules on the books across Indiana, 28 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Sidewalk Repair
Who pays for sidewalk repair, the city or the property owner, including cost-sharing programs, inspection triggers, and timelines for fixing damaged sidewalks.
Columbus
Significant RestrictionsIn the City of Columbus, Indiana, the owner of real estate must repair a defective sidewalk, curb or gutter adjoining…
Read full rule →Bloomington
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Bloomington, every owner or occupant of a house, building or vacant lot must keep the sidewalk in front…
Read full rule →Evansville
Some RestrictionsEvansville splits sidewalk replacement costs 50/50 with abutting property owners under a 10-year repayment plan, but…
Read full rule →Fishers
Some RestrictionsIn Fishers, Indiana, the adjacent property owner, not the city, is responsible for maintaining and repairing public…
Read full rule →Fort Wayne
Some RestrictionsProperty owners in Fort Wayne must keep the sidewalk abutting their building or lot from falling into disrepair, and…
Read full rule →Gary
Some RestrictionsGary places the duty to keep a sidewalk in safe repair on the owner of the abutting building or lot, not the city…
Read full rule →Greenwood
Some RestrictionsGreenwood puts the abutting property owner or occupant, not the City, in charge of keeping the public sidewalk in front…
Read full rule →Hammond
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Hammond, Indiana, the Common Council can order the owner of a lot to repair, raise, lower or relay the…
Read full rule →Kokomo
Some RestrictionsKokomo places a notification duty, not a repair mandate, on property owners under § 97.06: every owner of premises…
Read full rule →Lafayette
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Lafayette, Indiana, the owner or occupant of property abutting a sidewalk is responsible for its repair…
Read full rule →Noblesville
Some RestrictionsOnce a developer's posted maintenance sureties expire, the City of Noblesville shifts sidewalk upkeep to the adjoining…
Read full rule →South Bend
Some RestrictionsSouth Bend places sidewalk, curb and gutter repair squarely on the abutting property owner. Owners must construct…
Read full rule →St. Joseph County
Some RestrictionsSt. Joseph County puts sidewalk upkeep squarely on the abutting property owner or occupant. Section 54.02(B) requires…
Read full rule →Warrick County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Warrick County, Indiana, the landowner whose property abuts a sidewalk is responsible for its care…
Read full rule →Indianapolis
Few RestrictionsContrary to the rule in many cities, Indianapolis Code Sec. 645-605 puts the duty to inspect and repair public…
Read full rule →Obstruction Rules
What you can and cannot place on sidewalks, including newspaper boxes, planters, sandwich boards, trash cans, and minimum pedestrian clearance widths.
Greenwood
Significant RestrictionsGreenwood bans blocking any street, alley or sidewalk under City Code § 6-339(a), with narrow carve-outs for staging…
Read full rule →Hamilton County
Significant RestrictionsHamilton County bars anyone from pushing snow, debris, construction materials, litter or any other item onto a county…
Read full rule →Hammond
Significant RestrictionsIn the City of Hammond, Indiana, it is unlawful for anyone to encumber or obstruct a street, alley, sidewalk, public…
Read full rule →Bloomington
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Bloomington, a contractor blocking a sidewalk for twenty-four hours or more under a right-of-way use…
Read full rule →Columbus
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Columbus, Indiana, any special use or closing of the public right-of-way, including sidewalks, alleys…
Read full rule →Dearborn County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Dearborn County, Indiana, § 70.05(C) bars anyone in charge of, in control of, or owning an…
Read full rule →Elkhart County
Some RestrictionsElkhart County Code § 130.01 bars anyone from posting signs on county bridges, camping in a county-owned path or…
Read full rule →Evansville
Some RestrictionsEvansville prohibits obstructing or partially obstructing any street, sidewalk, or public way without a Board of Public…
Read full rule →Fishers
Some RestrictionsFishers requires business owners to keep the sidewalk and gutter in front of their property clear of litter, goods, and…
Read full rule →Gary
Some RestrictionsGary makes it unlawful to encumber a street or sidewalk with buildings, fences, vehicles, horses or any other material…
Read full rule →Indianapolis
Some RestrictionsIndianapolis bars anyone from obstructing a street, alley, sidewalk, crosswalk or public place without a permit under…
Read full rule →Kokomo
Some RestrictionsKokomo's Code of Ordinances bars obstructing sidewalks, streets, alleys, or public places under § 97.03(A). Goods…
Read full rule →Lafayette
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Lafayette, Indiana, blocking a public street, alley or sidewalk with building materials, furniture, wood…
Read full rule →Muncie
Some RestrictionsMuncie limits how close signs and merchandise can sit to a curb or intersection under City Code § 96.13. Merchandise…
Read full rule →Noblesville
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Noblesville, obstructing a sidewalk, street, alley, or crosswalk is declared a public nuisance under…
Read full rule →South Bend
Some RestrictionsSouth Bend bars anyone from collecting vehicles, materials or other objects on a street or sidewalk in a way that…
Read full rule →St. Joseph County
Some RestrictionsSt. Joseph County bans pushing or depositing snow and ice onto any sidewalk, street, roadway, transit loading area or…
Read full rule →Vanderburgh County
Some RestrictionsVanderburgh County Code 12.04.040 makes it unlawful to obstruct any public way, including streets, alleys, and…
Read full rule →Warrick County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Warrick County, Indiana, sidewalk upkeep falls on the abutting landowner, not the county. Warrick…
Read full rule →Westfield
Some RestrictionsProperty owners and occupants in the City of Westfield, Indiana must keep the publicly owned sidewalk and gutter next…
Read full rule →Encroachment Permits
Permits required when construction, landscaping, or other activities temporarily or permanently encroach on public sidewalks or rights-of-way.
Bartholomew County
Significant RestrictionsWorking in a county road, street, sidewalk, roadside ditch or right-of-way in unincorporated Bartholomew County…
Read full rule →Bloomington
Significant RestrictionsIn the City of Bloomington, closing, digging up, cutting into or excavating a street, sidewalk, alley or other…
Read full rule →Evansville
Significant RestrictionsEvansville requires Board of Public Works approval and a Department of Buildings permit before any cellar door, window…
Read full rule →Fort Wayne
Significant RestrictionsPlacing private facilities, cables, pipes, structures, in Fort Wayne's public rights-of-way requires Board of Public…
Read full rule →Greenwood
Significant RestrictionsAnyone cutting, excavating or otherwise disturbing a street, sidewalk or other right-of-way in the City of Greenwood…
Read full rule →Hamilton County
Significant RestrictionsAnyone who wants to build, dig, install a driveway, or store items within a Hamilton County road right-of-way must get…
Read full rule →Indianapolis
Significant RestrictionsIndianapolis requires a written license from the division of construction and business services before anyone may…
Read full rule →Morgan County
Significant RestrictionsRunning a pipe line, cable, fiber optic line or other underground transmission device under, along or across a Morgan…
Read full rule →Muncie
Significant RestrictionsPlacing a major fixed encroachment, such as an awning, canopy, retaining wall or underground vault, in a City of Muncie…
Read full rule →Warrick County
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated Warrick County, Indiana, no one may dig up, cut, restrict, close, or remove a county street, highway…
Read full rule →Boone County
Some RestrictionsBoone County requires a right-of-way permit before anyone builds a sidewalk, pathway, trail or multi-use path in the…
Read full rule →Dearborn County
Some RestrictionsIn Dearborn County, Indiana, any construction or utility installation inside the county right-of-way requires a permit…
Read full rule →Fishers
Some RestrictionsFishers requires written city approval before building a driveway onto a public street or cutting or altering an…
Read full rule →Floyd County
Some RestrictionsCutting, tunneling under, or excavating in a county road right-of-way in unincorporated Floyd County requires a road…
Read full rule →Hammond
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Hammond, Indiana, no one may excavate any part of a public street, sidewalk or alley, or place building…
Read full rule →Hendricks County
Some RestrictionsBuilding anything in a county road right-of-way in unincorporated Hendricks County, including sidewalks, pathways…
Read full rule →Kokomo
Some RestrictionsAnyone who wants to open, cut, bore into, or otherwise encroach on a Kokomo street, alley, or right-of-way must first…
Read full rule →Lafayette
Some RestrictionsA Lafayette merchant who wants to display goods on the public sidewalk in front of a store must get written approval…
Read full rule →Noblesville
Some RestrictionsAnyone who wants to obstruct, cut, bore into or otherwise use the public right-of-way in the City of Noblesville needs…
Read full rule →Porter County
Some RestrictionsAnyone cutting into or tunneling under Porter County right-of-way, including for private utility or driveway work, must…
Read full rule →South Bend
Some RestrictionsAnyone temporarily occupying South Bend's public right-of-way for commercial, construction or recreational use must…
Read full rule →Tippecanoe County
Some RestrictionsBefore anyone cuts, digs, trenches, or otherwise disturbs a county highway, street, or its adjacent easement in…
Read full rule →Vanderburgh County
Some RestrictionsAny part of a building or accessory that projects over a public street, sidewalk or alley in Vanderburgh County needs…
Read full rule →Westfield
Some RestrictionsOpening, cutting or obstructing any Westfield street, alley or right-of-way, including for construction or vending…
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