Newark, OH Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)

Section 660.05(a) of the Newark Code of Ordinances puts the duty on the people next to the sidewalk: no owner or occupant of abutting lands shall fail to keep the sidewalks, curbs or gutters in repair and free from snow, ice or any nuisance. Section 660.05(b) adds a repair trigger. No owner of any lot or parcel in the City shall fail to construct or repair the sidewalk, or any part of it, in front of and abutting the lot when the Director of Public Service directs it by letter.

Owners choose among the materials designated in the "Manual of Rules and Regulations for Operations in the Public Place" provided for in Section 1022.07, with one fixed exception: no material other than Portland cement concrete can be used in sidewalk construction around the Public Square.

Chapter 1024 controls how the work is done. Section 1024.01 forbids constructing, reconstructing or repairing any sidewalk until the proper line and grade are obtained from the City Engineer, and the work must follow those lines and grades and the Manual. If an owner builds or repairs contrary to that rule, Section 1024.02 requires the owner to take the sidewalk up and relay it at the owner's expense when the Director of Public Service directs. Work inside the right-of-way also falls under the Chapter 1022 work permit from the Director of Public Service.

The enforcing office is the Department of Public Service, with the City Engineer supplying line and grade. The duty runs to every owner of a Newark lot or parcel, not only to owners on downtown blocks, and it applies to snow and ice as well as structural repair.