Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules
Sidewalk repair responsibility, obstruction rules, ADA clearance, and pedestrian right-of-way.
The sidewalk in front of a house is usually the homeowner's problem. Codes assign the abutting owner the duty to maintain it, and in snow states, to clear it within a stated number of hours after the snow stops, with the city's costs billed back when crews do it instead.
Obstruction is the other half of sidewalk law: merchandise, vegetation, and parked vehicles that squeeze the walking path below the clearance the ADA effectively sets. Sitting-and-lying ordinances are a separate, heavily litigated species and deserve to be read as such.
What's Covered
Sidewalk Repair
Who pays for sidewalk repair, the city or the property owner, including cost-sharing programs, inspection triggers, and timelines for fixing damaged sidewalks.
Obstruction Rules
What you can and cannot place on sidewalks, including newspaper boxes, planters, sandwich boards, trash cans, and minimum pedestrian clearance widths.
Encroachment Permits
Permits required when construction, landscaping, or other activities temporarily or permanently encroach on public sidewalks or rights-of-way.