Unlawful obstructions, excavations, removal of materials, dumping trash or other materials or plowing of roads; penalty; payment of cost to restore

68-545. Unlawful obstructions, excavations, removal of materials, dumping trash or other materials or plowing of roads; penalty; payment of cost to restore. It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to obstruct any portion of a public highway, including any portion of the entire right-of-way, in any manner with intent to prevent the free use thereof, or to make any holes therein, or to remove any earth, gravel or rock therefrom or any part thereof, or in any manner to obstruct any ditch on the side of any such highway and thereby damage the same, to dump trash, debris, sewage, or any other material, on any highway or any ditch on the side of any highway, or to plow any public highway for the purpose of scouring plows, or for any other purpose except for the improvement of such highway and as directed in writing by the county engineer and the township board of highway commissioners acting jointly. Any person or persons violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction before any court having competent jurisdiction shall be fined for each and every offense under this act in the sum of not more than $200, and shall pay costs of the action and the cost of cleaning the public highway and restoring it to its prior condition. History: L. 1917, ch. 264, § 52; R.S. 1923, 68-545; L. 1951, ch. 386, § 1; L. 1961, ch. 305, § 1; L. 1984, ch. 254, § 1; July 1. Source or Prior Law: L. 1883, ch. 150, § 2. Cross References to Related Sections: Littering, see 21-3722. CASE ANNOTATIONS 1. Locality and legality immaterial in criminal prosecution for obstruction. State v. Hayes, 125 Kan. 375, 379, 263 P. 782. 2. Noted in holding no duties imposed on road contractor (K.S.A. 68-2102) regarding road used to travel to and from construction site. Fountain v. Se-Kan Asphalt Services, Inc., 17 Kan. App. 2d 323, 333, 837 P.2d 835 (1992). Previous | Next LEGISLATIVE COORDINATING COUNCIL General Policies 2026 Archived LCC Documents Archived LCC Meetings REVISOR OF STATUTES Archived Session Documents Archived School Finance Documents USEFUL LINKS Session Laws Kansas Administrative Regulations OTHER LEGISLATIVE SITES Kansas Legislature Administrative Services Division of Post Audit Research Department Contact Us PDF Help www.ksrevisor.gov 2026