Bloomington, IN Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)
Key Facts
- Who must repair
- Owner or occupant fronting the sidewalk
- Trigger for penalty
- Notice from city engineer, then refusal
- Cleanliness duty
- Separate, ongoing (§ 12.04.050)
- Enforcing office
- City engineer or designees
- Penalty basis
- General penalty provisions of the code
Summary
In the City of Bloomington, every owner or occupant of a house, building or vacant lot must keep the sidewalk in front of it in repair, and keep it clean and free of dirt, filth or litter. After the city engineer gives notice to fix a sidewalk, ignoring it triggers the code's general penalty.
Every owner or occupant of any house or other building, and any owner of any vacant lot within the city, shall keep the sidewalks in front of such house, building or vacant lot in repair. Any person neglecting or refusing to comply with the provisions of this section, or neglecting or refusing to put the sidewalk in front of any house, building or vacant lot owned or occupied by him or her in repair after having received notice from the city engineer, or their designees, to do so shall be subject to general penalty provisions of this code. ... It shall be the duty of every owner of real estate within the city to keep the sidewalk fronting upon such real estate reasonably clean and free from all dirt, filth or litter that may be washed or deposited thereon.
Full Breakdown
010 places the duty to keep sidewalks in repair on 'every owner or occupant of any house or other building, and any owner of any vacant lot within the city,' covering the sidewalk in front of that house, building or vacant lot. ' The section was amended as recently as Ordinance No. 2024-01 (Feb. 14, 2024), so the notice-then-penalty structure is current. 050: every owner of real estate in the city must keep the sidewalk fronting their property 'reasonably clean and free from all dirt, filth or litter that may be washed or deposited thereon,' a distinct, ongoing cleanliness obligation that does not require a prior notice to be in force.
Together the two sections put both structural upkeep and day-to-day cleanliness of the public sidewalk on the abutting owner or occupant, not on the city's public works crews, reflecting the code's general approach in Title 12 of pushing frontage maintenance onto adjacent property.
Violations & Fines
Failing to repair a sidewalk after the city engineer's notice under § 12.04.010 is 'subject to general penalty provisions of this code,' the citywide default fine and abatement process applied when a specific chapter sets no separate penalty. Failing to keep the sidewalk clean under § 12.04.050 draws the same general penalty exposure; the city engineer's office is the office that issues the repair notice that starts the clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has to fix a broken sidewalk in Bloomington, the city or the homeowner?
Can I be fined for not fixing my sidewalk right away?
Do I also have to keep the sidewalk clean, not just repaired?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bloomington
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