A sheltered sidewalk is a public amenity which protects pedestrians walking past a structure from rain, snow, or sunlight. It can be an arcade, colonnade, canopy, awning, extended pavilion, or a recessed right-of-way behind the columns at the structure's perimeter. It may supplement a non-sheltered sidewalk that runs parallel to it.

This amenity is not applied to structures which provide covered sidewalks which are not free for public use, or which are only useful for persons approaching or leaving the same structure. They should generally run parallel to the public street grid. Only open-air sidewalks count in this category; public indoor passageways are listed separately.

The covered route must help pedestrians pass the structure freely, not merely shelter people entering it. A public indoor passageway is enclosed; the sheltered sidewalk retains its open-air character even beneath a building overhang.