Whose Responsibility Is It to Repair a Settled Sidewalk?

Who is in charge of sidewalk repairs—you or the city? Your driveway is no doubt part of your property, but what about the sidewalk? 

• City Responsibilities 

If it’s considered public property, it is the city’s responsibility to keep the sidewalk repaired and safe so the residents can walk on it without getting injured. Making sidewalks public property benefits the city because it means that they can repair sidewalks without needing the homeowner’s permission. It also means that they can prevent homeowners from tampering with the sidewalk in a way that isn’t beneficial to the members of the community. 

Read up on your city’s municipal code and see if it’s their responsibility to fix the sidewalk. If it is, you’ll need to file a report. However, this doesn’t guarantee that the city will have the resources available for repair.  

• Homeowner Responsibilities 

Depending on the city municipal code, you might be responsible for your sidewalk repair whether it’s public property or not. Certain cities have codes that state that homeowners are responsible for sidewalk repair. Not keeping up with sidewalk maintenance could result in a fine since there’s a chance that someone in the community could get injured as a result of the unstable slab. 

Most municipal codes state that any homeowner that wants to repair their sidewalk needs to get a permit from the city in order to do so. Sometimes, even when it’s the city’s responsibility to repair the sidewalk, if they lack the resources to do it in a timely manner and you are willing, they might grant you a permit to do it yourself. Once you have that permit, you can contact your local experts.