Royal Oak, MI Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)

Article II of Chapter 650, Public Right-of-Way, puts sidewalk upkeep on the property owner. Section 650-5A makes every right-of-way area the responsibility of the adjacent landowner to keep in good repair, and § 650-5C extends that duty specifically to sidewalks and approaches: an owner who lets a sidewalk fall into disrepair is liable to the City for any damages the City later has to pay someone injured because of it. The City's own responsibility is narrower under § 650-5B, limited to restoring sidewalks, lawns, public trees and approaches that the City itself disturbs during a public improvement or utility repair.

When the City Engineer determines a public sidewalk or approach is unsafe, or that a new one is needed, § 650-5D requires written notice to the abutting owner giving at least 20 days to repair or rebuild it to City standards; if the condition is immediately dangerous, the Engineer can skip the notice and act right away. An owner who agrees to let the City do the work, or who ignores the notice, has the sidewalk replaced by the City and the cost assessed against the property.

Section 650-5E lets the City Commission recover that cost either as a special assessment against the abutting property under Charter Chapter 12 or as a general tax under Charter Chapter 8, and payment is due within 30 days of the Treasurer's notice unless the Commission approves a longer period, with late payment penalized the same as unpaid taxes.