Commerce City, CO Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)

Section 6-2012(6)(a) of the Commerce City Revised Municipal Code puts the maintenance duty on the owner or occupant of any building, property or lot, requiring that person to keep both the property and the adjoining sidewalk, including the part of the sidewalk sitting in the public right-of-way, in a clean and repaired condition and free of hazards and obstructions such as tree limbs, trash containers and sports equipment. The right-of-way segment of that duty runs from the property line to the centerline of the street, or to the edge of the roadway where the centerline falls in the pavement, so the repair obligation extends past the property line to the curb.

Section 6-2012(6)(c)(1) adds a time-bound duty specific to winter weather: snow, sleet, hail and ice must be cleared from the sidewalk fronting the property within twenty-four hours of the last snowfall or icing event ending. Section 6-2012(6)(c)(2) separately bars anyone, other than a city employee or agent acting within the scope of employment, from piling that snow or ice against a fire hydrant, a traffic control device, or onto property they do not own, occupy or control without the owner's consent. Because these duties sit in Chapter 6, a failure to maintain or clear the walk is a civil infraction under Section 6-1003, proven by a preponderance of the evidence in municipal court or the city's administrative hearing process.

Section 1-3003(c) caps the civil penalty at the maximum fine allowed under C.R.S. section 13-10-113, and the city can instead abate the hazard itself and recover its costs plus a fifteen percent administrative fee under Section 1-3004(a). Two or more failures within twelve months can be charged as a misdemeanor under Section 1-3003(d).