Short answer: yes, you can get a street bench with a center armrest to stop people from lying down. It’s a fairly common request for storefronts, transit stops, parks, and commercial properties. These benches are often listed as “bench with center armrest,” “anti-sleeping bench,” or “bench with middle armrest.” The center armrest breaks up the flat seating surface, which makes it much harder for someone to stretch out and lie down.
Before you buy, think about where the bench will be installed. For outdoor use in wet, salty, or high-sun areas, powder-coated steel, aluminum, or stainless steel will last longest. Recycled plastic or sealed wood can look warmer and less institutional, but make sure it is rated for outdoor commercial use if it will sit outside year-round. Many suppliers sell 4-foot, 6-foot, and 8-foot benches with an optional center armrest, so you can often choose the exact material, finish, and mounting style.
Spacing matters. On a 6-foot bench, a center armrest usually creates two seating areas of about 3 feet each. That is still comfortable for two adults, but it makes lying down extremely awkward because the armrest interrupts the middle of the bench. If you are retrofitting an existing bench, a bolt-on center armrest is usually the cheapest option. Some property owners also add intermediate armrests to longer benches to divide them into even smaller sections.
Accessibility is another factor. A center armrest is not automatically an ADA problem, and armrests can actually help older people or people with mobility issues push themselves up from a seated position. However, if you manage a public facility or sidewalk space, it is a good idea to keep at least one accessible bench nearby without a center divider, or choose a design with supportive end armrests instead of a harsh central bar.
One thing to keep in mind: these benches are sometimes described as “hostile architecture,” especially when they are used to discourage homeless people from resting. If the goal is simply to prevent overnight sleeping or keep a storefront tidy, you may get better community response by choosing a friendlier design—such as a bench with wide flat armrests, a small center shelf, or individual seats—rather than something that looks deliberately punishing.
In practice, you can find commercial outdoor benches with center armrests through park and site furnishing suppliers, municipal equipment vendors, and even some big hardware or facility supply retailers. If your town has a standard streetscape style, a local metal fabricator can often weld or bolt a matching center armrest onto your existing benches for less than the cost of full replacement.
So the short answer is yes: you can buy a ready-made street bench with a center armrest, order one as a customization, or retrofit an existing bench. The best choice depends on your budget, location, material needs, and how the bench will be used by the public.