A public indoor passageway is an enclosed passageway through a building which is open to the public during regular opening hours, and is available free of charge for anyone to transit through the building. Such passageways may be provided as a public benefit, or as a means of increasing traffic next to commercial outlets such as shops and restaurants.

Public indoor passageways must have an opening at ground level at one or more ends, or must be accessible to the street grid via ramps or stairways. These may form sections of pedway networks connecting multiple buildings, but only if such connections exist. An indoor passageway usually runs through only one building or through a set of adjacent buildings, and does not include any bridges or tunnels.

Access can be directly at ground level or by a ramp or stairway to the street grid. The enclosed route is distinct from an open-air sheltered sidewalk; bridges and tunnels are excluded even when other passages form a larger pedestrian network.