Ridgewood, NJ Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)

§ 249-24, "Duty of owner," as amended by Ord. No. 3498 in 2015, requires any owner of real property abutting a public street or sidewalk in the Village of Ridgewood, Bergen County, to install, construct, repair, alter, relay, reconstruct and maintain the abutting sidewalks at the owner's own cost whenever a sidewalk is required or an existing one has deteriorated into a hazard. Owners also bear the cost of repairing curbs where the damage was caused by their own actions. The Village does not simply demand repairs on notice: § 249-26 requires the Director of Public Works to first make field observations confirming a health, safety or welfare need, then serve a written initial notice giving the owner not less than 45 calendar days to complete the work, followed by a second 45-day notice if the owner misses the first deadline.

Notices are served under § 249-27 by regular and certified mail to the owner's address of record in the Village's tax assessment records. If the owner still does not comply, § 249-28 authorizes the Department of Public Works to perform the work itself and certify the cost to the Tax Collector as a lien on the property, collectible the same way as other tax assessments, and § 249-29 preserves the Village's right to sue the owner directly for the debt. Under the Violations Bureau Schedule adopted per § 1-15, a straight failure to repair a sidewalk under § 249-24 carries a $100 payable fine, separate from the lien remedy.