Cincinnati, OH Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)

Section 721-147 ties repair duty to abutting ownership, not to who damaged the walk. For one-, two-, or three-family residential parcels touching two or more public streets, only one frontage carries the repair burden: first the frontage with the driveway, then (if both or neither frontage has one) the frontage matching the property's street address, and only if neither test resolves it does the city engineer pick a frontage based on typical parcel frontages in the subdivision. Commercial property and larger residential buildings get no such break, every frontage is the owner's job.

Owners must also maintain every driveway apron, every driveway crossing a paved walk, and any curb integral to a driveway, and must keep the sidewalk space on all frontages free of nuisance regardless of which one carries the repair duty. When repairs are made, § 721-147 requires the same materials, including surface materials, already in the existing sidewalk, unless the city engineer directs otherwise or the Sidewalk Board of Appeals grants an exemption under §§ 721-155 through 721-159. A related duty under § 721-148 requires abutting owners to keep the strip between the curb and the property line free of nuisance, weeds, and litter, hold sight lines to traffic signals clear for 150 feet, keep at least 8 feet of overhead clearance over the sidewalk and 14 feet over the adjacent roadway, and keep privately owned trees trimmed above any utility wire they grow under.