Joliet, IL Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)

Joliet's Code of Ordinances places the cost of fixing broken public sidewalks on the property owner next to them, not on the city budget. Sec. ' The corporation counsel then drafts an assessment ordinance for the city council, which authorizes both the repair work and a special assessment against the abutting owner for the full cost of repair and replacement. Once the council passes that ordinance, Sec. 26-38(b) gives the engineer's office the job of sending written notice to every affected owner. From the date of that notice, the owner has fifteen days to repair the sidewalk on their own; if they don't, the city repairs it under the ordinance's authority and recovers the cost through the assessment.

This repair duty sits alongside a separate installation duty: Sec. 26-40 requires owners to install a sidewalk within ninety days after the city builds curbs and gutters along their frontage, again enforced through a special assessment district if the owner misses the deadline. New construction and replacement work both require a permit from the city engineer under Sec. 90 per 50 feet for replacement). Anyone who builds or repairs a sidewalk without that permit, or off the established grade, can be stopped mid-job under Sec. 26-39 and is subject to the general penalty in Sec. 1-8.