Hackensack, NJ Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)

Chapter 148, Article XIII (Sidewalk Maintenance) makes repair an owner obligation, not a City one. Section 148-60A requires anyone owning land fronting a public street, highway, curb or sidewalk to repair, at their own expense, any sidewalk, authorized installation, curb or gutter that is broken, disintegrated, uneven or otherwise defective enough to be likely to trip or cause a pedestrian to fall. Section 148-60B adds a maintenance standard even short of full repair: concrete sidewalk surfaces must be kept properly roughened so they do not become smooth and slippery, and Section 148-60C requires new sidewalk construction to use concrete, brick or slate per the Consulting Municipal Engineer's specifications.

Enforcement runs through Section 148-61: the Mayor and Council may authorize a written notice to the abutting owner or occupant specifying the required work, and the notice must give the owner no less than 30 days to complete it. A. 40:65-14 and pay for it out of municipal funds; the cost then becomes a lien on the abutting land, with the same legal effect as a local-improvement assessment, and the City can also sue the owner directly to recover the cost. For owners whose whereabouts are unknown, Section 148-61C allows the notice to be published in a local newspaper for four consecutive weeks instead of mailed.