Battle Creek, MI Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)

Sections 1022.06 and 1022.07 of the Battle Creek Codified Ordinances allocate the cost of building and rebuilding sidewalks in the City of Battle Creek, Michigan. Under Section 1022.06 the City Commission, by resolution, can require the owners of lots and premises to build sidewalks in the public streets adjacent to and abutting those lots and premises. Once the resolution is adopted, the City Clerk gives notice in accordance with Section 202.04 of the Administration Code to the owner, requiring the owner to construct or rebuild the sidewalk within twenty days from the date of the notice.

Section 1022.07 supplies the enforcement step. If the owner fails to build the sidewalk described in the notice within the time and in the manner required, the Director of Public Works is authorized and required, immediately after the time limit expires, to cause the sidewalk to be constructed. The expense is charged to the premises and the owner and is collected as provided for single lot assessments in Chapter 216 of the Administration Code.

The work itself must meet City standards. Section 1022.02 bars anyone from constructing, rebuilding or repairing any sidewalk other than in accordance with the line, grade, slope and specifications established by the Director of Public Works. Section 1022.04 requires sidewalks to be not less than four inches thick, and not less than six inches thick at driveway crossings, with expansion paper placed in the joints as the Director requires and concrete able to resist a pressure of 3,500 pounds per square inch twenty-eight days after placement. Under Section 1022.03 the Director furnishes line and grade stakes, but that does not relieve the owner of responsibility for careful and accurate measurements.

The Director can suspend a sidewalk permit under Section 1022.05 for incompetency or failure to comply and can stop work. Section 1022.11 separately makes the adjacent owner, occupant, tenant or lessee responsible for keeping the sidewalk free of obstructions, and Section 1022.16 keeps that person liable for slippery or dangerous conditions whether or not the City has cleaned the sidewalk.