Bloomington, IL Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)

City Code § 38-1001 authorizes sidewalk improvements, including repair and reconstruction, abutting other than commercial or industrial properties by special assessment of the abutting property under Article X of Chapter 38. Section 38-1002 sets that assessment at 50% of the cost of the improvement, with the City of Bloomington paying the remaining 50%. The City Manager may waive the owner's share only if all three conditions in § 38-1002B are met: the repair is necessitated by tree root growth that has caused or will aggravate the sidewalk's deteriorated condition, the deteriorated sidewalk poses a hazard to pedestrians, and failure to waive the assessment would cause serious financial hardship to the owner.

Section 38-1003 limits improvements to what is appropriated each fiscal year and excludes property being developed under Chapter 24 (Subdivision Regulations) or Chapter 44, § 44-204. Under § 38-1004, an owner who wants sidewalk work done applies to the Public Works Department, and the application must be accompanied by a check for 50% of the estimated cost, except where the tree-hazard-hardship waiver in § 38-1002B applies. Applications are processed in chronological order. Section 38-1005 caps improvements made in any fiscal year at whichever is lesser: the improvements requested or the appropriations available for that year, and unfunded applications carry over to the next fiscal year with chronological priority.

This puts the practical repair burden on the abutting owner through the 50% assessment share rather than a flat maintenance duty, and channels disputes over cost-sharing through the City Manager's waiver findings rather than an automatic exemption.