Hawthorne, CA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)

010 calls a separate and alternate procedure for sidewalk repair, imposing a duty on property owners to keep abutting sidewalks in a condition that will not endanger persons or property or interfere with public use, backed by a process letting the street superintendent make repairs at the owner's expense if the owner neglects that duty. 031(B), added by Ordinance 2176 in 2019, spells out the duty directly: owners of lots adjacent to or fronting a sidewalk area, and persons in possession under a permit or right, must repair and maintain the sidewalk area, including parkway lawn strips, sidewalks, driveway aprons, curbs and gutters, and must pay the costs, including the city's inspection and administration charges.

If an owner does not act within the appropriate time and the city has to step in because of a hazardous condition, the city invoices the owner for the cost or places a lien on the property for failure to pay. 031(C) clarifies that qualifying maintenance and repair includes surface grinding, removal and replacement of sidewalks, driveway aprons, curb and gutter repair, filling or replacing parkway strips, weed and debris removal, tree root pruning and root barrier installation, and shrub trimming in the area between the property line and the street pavement line.

031(A) that where Title 12 of the Hawthorne code conflicts with the state's Chapter 22 procedure, Title 12 controls. 031(D), the city manager may extend the state-law repair commencement period by up to ninety days for sufficient cause.