Lexington, KY Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)

Section 17-147 makes it the duty of each owner of real estate abutting a sidewalk to repair, at his own expense, all holes, uneven surfaces and other defects in the sidewalk his property abuts, with reconstruction required to comply with the urban county's standard drawings and technical manuals. If the owner is a nonresident of the urban county or can't be located, the duty passes to the owner's agent in charge of the property, and if there's no agent, to the occupant. The process isn't self-executing: under section 17-148, the urban county engineer or a code enforcement officer must first identify a hazardous defect and serve written notice, personally or by regular mail to the address on the current tax roll, giving the owner a reasonable, stated period to repair or replace it, with the urban county council empowered to adopt enforcement regulations.

Section 17-149 then gives the owner that same stated window to complete the work using materials as close as possible to the existing sidewalk. An owner who disputes a notice or a resulting civil penalty can appeal to a hearing officer under the administrative hearing board within seven days of service, under chapter 2B, with further appeal to a court of competent jurisdiction. The urban county government can also order full sidewalk reconstruction independent of this repair duty under section 17-151.