Most city offices & the yard waste drop off site are closed Monday, May 26 for Memorial Day. Refuse, recycle, and yard waste curbside services are delayed one day that week.
Are you looking to use a section of a road, sidewalk, or other area of the public right-of way for your project? The City requires that you apply for a Temporary Occupancy Permit. With this permit you will gain permission to temporarily close the needed area of the right-of-way.
We use a third party application called Citizen Access for our Temporary Occupancy Permit applications. If you've never used Citizen Access, we recommend that you review how to create an account before starting your application.
This application will take about 20 minutes once you've gathered the required information identified in the steps below. You will be able to save your application and resume later if you need more time.
The Temporary Occupancy Permit is required whenever a person or company wants to use a part of the public right-of-way for short-term private use. This include uses like:
For ongoing use of the public right-of-way please see our Encroachment Permit process.
Before you apply, please make sure to have the following documents prepared:
NOTE: Traffic Control Plans are NOT required for dumpster and POD requests.
You'll need to enter your credit/debit card information to pay the permit fee. We accept Visa, MasterCard and Discover.
Once you are ready, you can follow the link to our Citizens Access site to complete your application.
Apply Online in English
Expect to hear from us within 1-2 business days. We'll email you to confirm receipt of your application. Keep in mind that you might need to revise your application or attachments if we notice any missing or incorrect information.
We do not currently accept paper forms for Temporary Occupancy Permits. You can find a link to apply online under the Online tab of this page or you may visit the office in person to fill out an application.
You can find our number in the Contact Us section of this page. We'll get you all the information you need to apply for your Temporary Occupancy Permit. We don't take applications over the phone, but we'll make sure you have everything you need to get your application approved.
For in person payments, we accept cash, check or money order, and Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.
You'll find our address in the Contact Us section of this page.
How to use Citizen Access
Encroachment Permit Process
Michigan Manual for Uniform Traffic Control
Planning and Permits for Home Renovation Projects
Starting and Running a Business in Grand Rapids