North Charleston, SC Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)

Section 9-42 requires every occupant, tenant and owner of a building, and the holder of any possessory interest in an abutting vacant lot, to jointly and severally keep and maintain the sidewalk or road right-of-way fronting the property. The duty runs to the curb line where a sidewalk exists, or to the edge of the road where it does not, and requires the area to stay clean and free of trash, ashes, rubbish and unsightly grass and weeds. Section 9-43 extends that same duty to every tenant in a multi-unit building divided into apartments, offices or other divisions: each tenant is jointly and severally responsible for the entire frontage, not just the portion nearest their unit, so a landlord cannot point to one tenant to escape responsibility.

Section 9-44 backs the duty with a notice-and-cite process. When a sidewalk or right-of-way strip is dirty or unsightly because of trash, rubbish, grass or weeds, each responsible person under §§ 9-42 and 9-43 must cut the weeds and clean the area; failing to do so after being called on it makes that person or corporation guilty of a misdemeanor. The duty is a maintenance obligation on the abutting property, not a repair-of-pavement obligation; the code does not require the abutting owner to rebuild cracked or broken sidewalk slabs, only to keep the surface clear and clean.