Atlantic County, NJ Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)

Section 86-708(A) states the County's position directly: since Atlantic County does not assume any responsibility for the maintenance of sidewalks, the DRC will not require a sidewalk as a condition of subdivision or site plan approval, except where the DRC itself determines a sidewalk is needed to protect pedestrian traffic while still facilitating vehicular traffic on a County road. That default flips only when local law steps in: § 86-708(B) allows a sidewalk to be installed within a County right-of-way if the host municipality's own zoning, subdivision, site plan or other ordinance requires it for the land development, and if a sidewalk is required, a curb must go in alongside it to the County's applicable standards.

Where a sidewalk is installed, § 86-708(C) requires ADA-accessible ramps and connections to existing sidewalks or nearby pedestrian destinations, and where a project sits within 1,000 feet of a NJ Transit stop the applicant should coordinate access consistent with NJ Transit and ADA standards. The DRC keeps a safety-based veto in § 86-708(D): it may determine that installing a sidewalk would create an unsafe drainage, vehicular or pedestrian condition, in which case the sidewalk will not be allowed within the County right-of-way even if a municipal ordinance would otherwise call for one.

Any sidewalk that is built in a County right-of-way must conform to the County's standard design figures under § 86-708(E). Because upkeep of sidewalks that do get built is left to the municipality or abutting property owner under local ordinance, not to Atlantic County, a resident asking who repairs a cracked sidewalk fronting their lot needs the municipal code, not the County code.