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

Section 30-455 triggers a repair obligation, not a permanent maintenance duty, at specific building-permit and grading-permit milestones. Under subsection (a), if the public sidewalk along a lot's street frontage doesn't meet current construction standards, or isn't in good condition and free of defects, and the owner applies for a building permit for anything other than a single- or two-family home, the City conditions permit issuance on the applicant agreeing to repair that sidewalk before an occupancy permit is issued. That duty applies to new construction and to expansions where the construction value on the permit exceeds 50 percent of three times the lot's most recent Equalized Assessed Value.

Subsection (b) applies the same repair condition when a grading and drainage permit is needed to expand an existing parking lot by 50 percent or more, again exempting single- and two-family lots. A sidewalk at least four feet wide, in good condition and otherwise meeting Manual of Practice standards is grandfathered as legal non-conforming and doesn't have to be rebuilt. Section 30-456 lets the Public Works Director waive or modify the repair requirement where there's no room in the right-of-way, an approved alternate pedestrian circulation plan exists, or the repair cost is a hardship relative to the triggering project, though the Director can attach conditions to any waiver. All approved plans must meet the standards in the City's Manual of Practice under subsection (c).