Irondequoit, NY Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)

Section 198-7 of the Town of Irondequoit Code puts sidewalk upkeep on the people who live next to the sidewalk. Subsection A makes each owner or occupant of lands situated along a sidewalk within the bounds of any street or highway responsible for keeping and maintaining it in proper repair. Subsection D adds that approval of sidewalk construction by the Town Commissioner of Public Works/Superintendent of Highways does not impose any duty on the Commissioner or on the Town of Irondequoit to maintain the sidewalk. It stays with the abutting property owner or owners.

Construction standards sit in the same section. Under subsection B, no sidewalk can be built within the bounds of a highway unless the Commissioner approves its design, construction and grade. Subsection C sets lateral grades at no less than 1/8 inch per foot and no more than 1/2 inch per foot, bars construction that interferes with the established gutter line or sends additional water onto private property, and requires warning devices, including barriers and warning lights, on any obstruction or grade over 1/2 inch per foot while work is in progress.

Subsection E, added 7-18-2000 by L.L. No. 4-2000, defines what counts as defective. A hazardous sidewalk has a 1 1/2 inch difference in elevation between a joint or a crack, or is so badly spalled, broken or deteriorated as to present a tripping hazard. Cracked slabs include those with a difference of elevation of 1/2 inch or greater, more than one crack in a slab, or longitudinal cracks of 1/2 inch or wider. Spalled slabs have surface irregularities greater than 1/2 inch in depth over more than 1/4 of the slab. A settled walk has settlement of 1 1/2 inches or more over a ten-foot span, but it is not treated as a problem if there is drainage out of the settled area. Where tree roots heave a walk 1 1/2 inches or more, the code calls for the walk to be removed, the roots cut and the slabs replaced; heaves under 1 1/2 inches can get a temporary asphalt wedge. Asphalt or cement shims are temporary repairs with periodic inspections.