Rutherford County, TN Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)

Rutherford County's Regional Planning Commission, through Appendix B of the Subdivision Regulations (adopted August 12, 2013, effective October 1, 2013, as amended through June 10, 2024), sets the design and maintenance framework for every sidewalk built in a new unincorporated subdivision. 3, Sidewalks and Ramps, starts by making sidewalks optional: a developer may choose to install them, but the county does not require them in residential developments. If a developer does build sidewalks, they must appear on the Construction Drawings reviewed by the Planning & Engineering department, carry a minimum clear width of five feet, and meet the American with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines, including ADA-compliant ramps at every intersection where a sidewalk exists.

A four-foot grass strip separates the walk from the back of curb. Once that sidewalk is in the ground, the ordinance shifts all maintenance duty away from the government: individual lot owners or a Home Owners Association shall be responsible for sidewalk maintenance regardless of whether the sidewalk sits inside or outside the public right-of-way, and the County will not be responsible for sidewalk maintenance. That means a cracked slab, a heaved panel from a tree root, or a missing curb ramp is the abutting owner's repair bill, or the HOA's if the subdivision's covenants assign common-area sidewalks to the association, even though the walk usually sits inside the platted public right-of-way.

The county's Property Maintenance program describes code enforcement generally but has not posted the operative text of that resolution, so any citation for a neglected sidewalk runs through that separate, unstaged process rather than the Subdivision Regulations themselves.