It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to distribute, throw or deposit upon any street, alley or public place, or in or upon any vehicle thereon, or upon any private yard, lawn driveway, sidewalk, porch or steps of any residence, or upon or in any part of any structure or upon any vacant property in the City of Tacoma, any advertising sample, handbill, dodger, circular, booklet, paper or loose advertising matter of any kind or description; provided, however, that nothing in this section shall prohibit the distribution and delivery of any newspaper which is capable of being entered as second class matter under the provisions of the United States Post Office regulations of March 3, 1879, and other United States statutes.
(Ord. 6866 § 1, 1918-10-02; Ord. 10697, 1931-06-17)
It shall be unlawful for any person to store, display, place, or cause or suffer to be stored, displayed or placed, any goods, wares, merchandise, or other articles or signs for purposes of sale, display, advertising or for any other purpose on any street, alley or sidewalk, including the space between the sidewalk and the street, curb or property line in the City of Tacoma, except while in the actual course of receipt or delivery thereof; provided, however, that the tenant or occupant of any ground floor room or store abutting upon a sidewalk may use and occupy such sidewalk for a distance of 18 inches immediately outside the property line for the display of goods, wares and merchandise and other articles; and provided further, where it is necessary to place garbage or trash containers upon a public sidewalk, alley or street to allow removal of such garbage and trash, such containers may be placed thereon for a reasonable period of time necessary for such removal; and further, excepting the use of said streets, alleys and sidewalks as may be otherwise specifically authorized by other City ordinances.
(Ord. 16609 § 1, 1960-06-12)
It is unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to allow or cause to be allowed any tracking of debris over or along any public street or sidewalk by vehicles leaving their property. As used herein, the word “debris” includes, but is not limited to: mud, dirt, gravel, dust, wood, or building materials dropped by vehicles entering or exiting property adjacent to a public street or sidewalk.
(Ord. 6866 § 2, 1918-10-02; Ord. 23781 § 1, 1987-02-17)
It is unlawful for any person to build a fire, slack lime, mix mortar, or place any sand or gravel, building material or other substances upon any sidewalk, street or alley in the City without first obtaining a permit so to do from the Director of Public Works. And whenever a fire is built or lime is slacked, or mortar is mixed, or sand or gravel or other like building material is deposited upon any sidewalk or paved streets, the same shall be done in such a manner as to prevent injury to such sidewalk or pavement and to prevent the materials from coming in contact therewith or being scattered thereon.
(Ord. 6866 § 3, 1918-10-02)
It shall be the duty of the person having charge or control of any premises within the City to keep the walk or walks along the property in the street or streets adjacent thereto in a clean condition.
(Ord. 6866 § 4, 1918-10-02; Ord. 24239 § 1, 1988-11-29)
It shall be the duty of every person having charge or control of any premises located within the City of Tacoma to remove or cause to be removed from the public walks along the side or in front of the premises all snow or ice which may have formed or been deposited therein within 24 hours after the same has fallen or been formed, and shall also cause such snow or ice to be removed from the gutter in front of such walk for a sufficient width to allow the water to run freely therein.
(Ord. 6866 § 5, 1918-10-02)
The loading or unloading of goods and commodities used or required in the ordinary course of business conducted in the building abutting any sidewalk is permitted when there is no other practical or convenient way of access to the building. All such loading and unloading shall be done in a continuously manner without utilizing the sidewalk, even temporarily, for storage, unless a special right-of-use permit has been obtained. During loading and unloading, an adequate portion of the sidewalk shall be kept open at all times for use by pedestrians.
(Subst. Ord. 28799 Ex. A, 2023-02-07)
Anyone placing or transporting items on the sidewalks shall be responsible and liable for any damage to sidewalks resulting from their activities. The person or entity causing such damage shall promptly repair such damage and shall be responsible for ensuring that the sidewalk is safe for passage prior to completion of repair. This obligation applies to any sidewalk utilized by the person or entity, not only to the frontage of property they own or occupy.
(Subst. Ord. 28799 Ex. A, 2023-02-07)
Businesses that operate on Core Pedestrian Streets, as designated in the Tacoma Municipal Code, which have loading and unloading operations that utilizes equipment for palletized supplies or any other equipment deemed by the PDS Director to have the potential to cause damage to the pedestrian infrastructure shall be required to obtain a right-of-way use permit for this operation. This right-of-way use permit shall include a $15,000 performance bond, and shall be conditioned to cover the liability of any entity providing loading operations to this business. This requirement shall not apply for businesses on Core Pedestrian Streets with loading or unloading operations that do not cross pedestrian facilities. This right-of-way use permit may be authorized for a period of 12 months and may be applied for on an annual basis.
Businesses, including those that operate on Core Pedestrian Streets, that obtain an annual right-of-use permit and performance bond may be authorized as a condition of their right-of-use permit to temporarily occupy the right-of-way for loading and unloading, provided that an adequate portion of the sidewalk is kept open at all times for use by pedestrians. However, the temporary occupancy shall not exceed one business day.
(Subst. Ord. 28799 Ex. A, 2023-02-07)
Any person or entity violating any of the provisions hereof shall be subject to all penalties and enforcement processes in the Uniform Enforcement Code, Chapter 1.82 of the Tacoma Municipal Code.
(Ord. 6866, 1918-10-02; Ord. 10697, 1931-06-17; Subst. Ord. 28799 Ex. A, 2023-02-07)