Everything from a Street Opening Permit to a Sidewalk Construction Permit exists because work is happening within this city-owned right-of-way, even when the abutting owner is legally responsible for maintaining part of it. This is also why unauthorized structures — an illegal curb cut, an encroaching fence, unpermitted defacement — are enforceable by the city even though a private owner pays for the sidewalk's upkeep. Understanding the right-of-way concept clarifies why property owners need city permission for work that, on the surface, looks like it's happening "on their own property."
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