Sidewalk Rules Aim to Ensure Accessibility

A City ordinance defining accessibility standards for sidewalks in Georgetown went into effect this month. The new rules aim to ensure ADA-compliant walkways, especially around the Square, in areas where tables, merchandise, and other items are placed on sidewalks.

The new rules require a path that is three feet wide without obstructions on sidewalks. Tables, chairs, planters, signs, merchandise, or other items should be placed so as not to obstruct a path that is three feet wide for pedestrians, wheel-chair users, or others.

The new rules, which went into effect on April 8, apply to all sidewalks in the city, including those in the downtown area.

Other new rules require City approval for signs, artwork, promotional items, or publication boxes on the sidewalk. Outdoor displays of merchandise are allowed only during regular business hours in the Downtown Overlay District. Permanent displays are not permitted. City landscape features or planters may not be used for display or promotion, such as lighting or signs placed by businesses.

Within the nine-block area around the Courthouse in the Downtown Overlay District, smoking is prohibited within 10 feet of any public entrance.