It shall be unlawful to place any encroachments or obstructions on any sidewalk, street or other public right-of-way with the following exceptions.
(A) Irrigation systems. Allow the installation of private lawn sprinkling systems within the village parkway/right-of-way for both residential and commercial properties, under the following provisions.
(1) Contractor of homeowner shall secure a permit. Cost of the permit shall be set in the fee schedule. An inspection of the piping and connections are required, prior to backfill in the right-of-way.
(2) To secure a permit, a set of plans shall be submitted to the Building Department reflecting the location of sprinkler heads and the required reduced pressure zone (RPZ) valve.
(3) Lawn sprinkler systems are allowed only once under the public sidewalk, installed parallel to and within six inches of the back of the public sidewalk, and either one-way or half circle sprinkler heads should be used in this area.
(4) The Illinois Department of Public Health requires that a licensed plumber supervise the installation of lawn sprinkler systems and make the physical connection between the sprinkler system and the RPZ to prevent contamination of drinking water supplies. A yearly certification of the RPZ value by a state licensed plumber is also required. A written statement of this test shall be submitted to the Public Works Department.
(5) The original property owner(s) shall sign a release which states: “The property owner will NOT, under any circumstances, hold the Village of Matteson or any of its agents liable for replacing or repairing any sprinkler heads or damaged piping in parkway/right-of-way. This includes any damage to any part of the system caused by the Village of Matteson or any of its agents working in the parkway/right-of-way or on village property.”
(6) Failure to comply with any portion of this section will result in termination of all water service.
(B) Mailboxes. Masonry mailboxes and planters will be allowed under these strictly enforced restrictions.
(1) No person shall construct, erect or alter a brick or masonry mailbox without first securing a permit.
(2) Along with a permit application, a plat of survey should be attached to show the following. The mailbox setback a minimum of 12 inches from the back of curb but in no case shall any portion of the mailbox, including the door when in the open position, extend past the back of curb; at least 12 inches from the driveway; the structure shall not be erected within five feet of any buffalo box, water valve, vault/box, sanitary sewer manhole, storm sewer manhole or inlet, or within ten feet nor immediately in front of a fire hydrant; structure shall not exceed two feet square. The brickwork for the mailbox shall be tied to the pad in such a manner so as to prevent the mailbox from becoming detached from the pad.
(3) The original property owner(s) shall sign a release which states: “The property owner will NOT, under any circumstances, hold the Village of Matteson or its agents liable for replacing or repairing the damaged masonry mailbox and/or planters by the Village of Matteson or its agents working in the parkway/right-of-way or on village property.”
(2000 Code, § 98.39) (Ord. 1571, passed 10-17-1994; Ord. 2022, passed 4-4-2005) Penalty, see § 98.99
Statutory reference:
Authority to prevent and remove encroachments, see 65 ILCS 5/11-80-3