Petaluma, CA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)

020, the owner of a lot fronting or adjacent to a sidewalk area between the property line and the street line, including planting strips, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, must repair and maintain that area and pay the costs. Maintenance duties include resurfacing or replacing sidewalk panels, repairing curbs and gutters, clearing weeds and debris, pruning tree roots and installing root barriers, and trimming shrubs and ground cover so the walkway stays safe and does not interfere with public use. When the director of public works has actual notice that a sidewalk area needs work, the director sends the owner written notice describing the required work, the city's cost estimate and the date work must begin.

If the owner has not started or contacted the city within seven days, the director issues a second notice seven to fourteen days later, and may extend the start date by up to seventy-four days. Owners may do the work themselves, hire a licensed contractor, or ask the city to perform it; the city also offers financing agreements carrying an administrative fee and interest at the prime lending rate, with a maximum three-year term and minimum monthly payments of one hundred dollars. If the owner still fails to act, the director may complete the work and bill the owner; unpaid invoices after thirty days can be sent to a collection agency or turned into a special assessment and lien recorded with the Sonoma County recorder under California Streets and Highways Code Section 5626. 030 separately makes the owner liable to any member of the public injured because the sidewalk was left in a dangerous condition.