Dade City, FL Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)

Dade City Code of Ordinances § 78-84 is the only provision in the current code addressing responsibility for repairing an existing public sidewalk, and it places that authority with the city rather than spelling out a duty on the abutting property owner. When a sidewalk becomes or is out of repair, the city manager may require it to be repaired within a limited time, or, instead of ordering a simple repair, may recommend to the city commission that the sidewalk be removed and a new walk laid.

If the commission approves that recommendation, § 78-84 directs it to proceed in the same manner as is provided for requiring sidewalks to be laid, pointing back to the construction procedure in §§ 78-81 and 78-82, which require sidewalks and curbing to meet city-prescribed specifications and be built under a permit the property owner applies for and the city supervises. The sections that once set out a cost-assessment procedure for city-ordered sidewalk work, §§ 78-85 through 78-120, are marked 'Reserved' in the current code, meaning that mechanism has been repealed or never carried forward, and chapter 78 as currently printed does not itself state who pays when the city orders a repair under § 78-84.

A property owner planning voluntary sidewalk or curb work still needs a permit from the city manager under § 78-82, describing the work's location, character, and materials, before any construction can begin.