Delaware County, PA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)

Section 195-807A(1)(d) of the Delaware County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance of 2016 sets the default maintenance rule for sidewalks and pedestrian pathways built under the county's design standards. It states that sidewalks and pathways located within a public right-of-way, a public easement, or a common area must be maintained by the property owner unless the municipality requires otherwise. Because Chapter 195 only fills in for municipalities that have not adopted their own subdivision and land development ordinance under § 195-2, this default shifts as soon as a township or borough files its own ordinance or adopts a separate sidewalk maintenance chapter, which many Delaware County municipalities have done.

The same section sets construction specifications that go with the maintenance duty: sidewalks must have walking surfaces built to the municipality's design standards, a minimum four-foot width with five to seven feet recommended where space allows, a lateral pitch no steeper than 2% for drainage, ADA-compliant curb cuts at street and driveway crossings, and a three-foot setback from angle parking to keep vehicle overhang off the walking surface. New sidewalks connecting to an existing walk wider than five feet need a tapered transition under § 195-807A(1)(i).

None of these design and maintenance rules are enforced by county staff directly; a municipality that adopts the county default relies on its own code enforcement or public works department to cite an owner who lets a sidewalk deteriorate, since the county text names the property owner as responsible but does not create its own penalty schedule.