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Rules for the Pearl Street Mall


4-11-4 Uses Prohibited Without Permit.

(a)   (1) No person shall sell, display for sale, or advertise for sale any goods or services to the public on the mall without a valid permit or lease therefor issued under this chapter.

(b)   (1) No person shall conduct any activity or enterprise that involves placement of a cart, unrolled blanket, booth, table, stage or other structure, or equipment on the mall without a valid permit or lease therefor issued under this chapter.hout limitation, a sandwich board, carried by a person and not set on or affixed to the ground.

(d) No person shall use amplified sound on the mall without obtaining an amplified sound permit issued under this chapter.

(e) No person shall juggle, cast, throw, or propel a knife or burning projectile on the mall, or use equipment which is more than six feet above the surface of the mall when at rest or when bearing a load while being used in the act, without a valid special entertainment permit issued under this chapter.

5-6-8 Skateboards on Mall.

No person on the mall shall ride upon the mall any skateboard, skates, coaster, or other similar device.

5-6-9 Projectiles on Mall.

(a) No person shall cast, throw, or propel any projectile on the mall. This prohibition includes, without limitation, throwing balls, boomerangs, bottles, darts, frisbees and other like devices, model airplanes, rocks, snowballs, and sticks.

(b) This section does not apply to a juggler if the juggler does not cast, throw, or propel a knife, including, without limitation, a knife with a blade three and one-half inches in length or less, or burning projectile or if the juggler is acting within the terms of a special entertainment permit issued under the provisions of chapter 4-11, "Mall Permits and Leases," B.R.C. 1981.

6-1-17 Animals on Mall Prohibited.

(a) No person shall bring an animal onto the mall or possess an animal on the mall, regardless of whether the animal is on a leash or is confined. But a person with an animal may cross the mall in a northbound or southbound direction at 11th Street, Broadway, 13th Street, 14th Street, or 15th Street.

(b) It is a specific defense to a charge of violating this section that the person is blind or deaf or otherwise has a significant physical disability and the animal is a service animal specifically trained to aid the mobility of such person.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, an animal may be present on the mall in accordance with the terms of a permit issued under this subsection.

6-4-3.5 Smoking Prohibited in Public Areas.

No person shall smoke in a public area:

(a)In the Downtown Boulder Business Improvement District including the Mall;
(b)On any park, parkland or facility;
(c)On any open space and mountain parks property;
(d)On any trail, path or multi-use paths and within twenty-five feet on both sides of any trail, path or multi-use path;
(e)Within twenty-five feet of a library facility;
(f)Within twenty-five feet of a transit stop;
(g)Within the City Municipal Campus; and
(h)Within the Boulder High School Area as defined in this chapter.

Additional information about the Smoking Ban can be found here.

7-5-10 Driving Bicycle on Sidewalk Prohibited.

(a) No person shall drive a bicycle or use a skateboard, rollerblade, or roller ski upon and along a sidewalk except:
(1) Upon sidewalks in residential or public districts zoned RR-1, RR-2, RE, RL, RM, RMX, RH-1, RH-2, RH-3, RH-4, RH-5, MH, MU-1, MU-3, or P; or
(2) Upon sidewalks designated as paths.
(b) No person shall drive a bicycle on the mall. This subsection does not apply to an entertainer who is performing an act on a unicycle.
(c) No person shall drive a bicycle upon and along a sidewalk where such use is prohibited by a traffic control device.

(Ordinance Nos. 5241 (1989); 5930 (1997); 7522 (2007))

7-6-29 Parking Bicycle on the Mall.

No person shall lock, attach, lean, or support any bicycle or electric assisted bicycle on any structure, apparatus, display, plant life, or building on the mall, or any building on the perimeter of the mall, except bicycle racks provided for such use.

9-9-21 Outdoor Signage.

There are regulations regarding the size, number, type and locations of signs that can be displayed on a building. Some types of signs are not allowed under the code. Select the "Boulder Revised Code: Chapter 9-9-21: Signs" link for more information.

Signs That Cannot be Displayed:

- Any sign installed without a permit
- Signs in the right of way, including a-frame sandwich board signs
- Signs more than 25 feet in height or signs on a roof
- Certain types of window signs
- Signs that move, twinkle, rotate, pulsate or appear to have motion.
- Strings of lights
- Off-premises signs
- Unsafe signs
- Wind signs, with one exception:
A banner is considered a wind sign. A person can obtain a no-fee permit for a banner that can be displayed for 30 days during the first year of operation of a business for any reason. The maximum size of this banner is 50 square feet.


For questions about permits for events, selling wares, playing amplified music or having a cart on the Pearl Street Mall. Call the City of Boulder's Downtown Management Division at 303-413-7300.