New Britain, CT Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)

Sec. 21-70, Sidewalks: Repair and maintenance generally, makes the owner or custodian of any building or lot of land bordering a street where there is a sidewalk responsible for three things: keeping the sidewalk in a condition safe and convenient for public use, repairing all defects that endanger or hamper public traffic, and removing without delay any obstructions found on it. If the owner or custodian neglects to repair a defect after due notice, subsection (b) lets the Department of Public Works make the repair itself at the owner's or custodian's expense.

Subsection (c) requires that flag-walk repairs use new excavation backfilled with cinders, broken stone or processed gravel deep enough to resist frost heaving. Sec. 21-71 extends a stricter duty to owners of glass or iron sidewalks, who must keep them slip-proof at all times. When an owner ignores a council or Department of Public Works order to make, grade, pave, flag, curb or repair a sidewalk within the specified time, Sec. 21-72 lets the department do the work under its own supervision and recover the expense as a lien on the property, remaining in effect with interest until paid in full and enforced under Connecticut General Statutes § 49-73b; the department may also recommend, with common council approval, letting the owner pay off the cost through bonds or notes over as long as five years.

The director of public works must record the lien certificate within thirty days after the work is completed unless the expense was already paid. Sec. 21-73 separately requires any contractor who builds or repairs concrete sidewalks or curbs for hire to hold a city license, renewed annually by March 31.