Decatur, GA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)

Section 86-2(a) of the Decatur Code of Ordinances makes it the duty of all property owners to keep sidewalks and pedestrian rights-of-way on every side of their property clean and free of papers, cups and waste of any kind, on any day except the property's own refuse collection day. If the property is leased, the code shifts that duty to the tenant instead of the owner. When a codes enforcement officer finds a sidewalk or right-of-way in a dirty condition and gives notice, Section 86-2(a) gives the owner or tenant seven days to clean it before further action.

Section 86-2(b) names who can enforce this duty: the codes enforcement officer, the public works director and designees, and the city engineer and designees. This is a cleanliness and upkeep obligation rather than a structural repair-cost statute; the code does not appear to assign the cost of concrete sidewalk repair or replacement to abutting owners. Physical sidewalk reconstruction instead runs through Section 86-9, which requires anyone opening or reconstructing a street, sidewalk or alley to submit plans to the city engineer for approval of materials, grades and dimensions before work begins, and curb ramp construction on qualifying blocks follows the wheelchair-access standards of Section 86-7.