Tempe, AZ Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 29-2
- Who's responsible
- Owner/occupant of the abutting premises
- Covered area
- Sidewalk plus strip to curb line
- Related duties
- Trim trees, maintain ditches, clear alley to center
- Default penalty
- Up to $2,500 fine or 6 months jail
- City-built sidewalks
- Cost recovered as a lien if owner fails
Summary
Tempe puts the duty to keep sidewalks in good repair on the adjacent property owner, not the City. Section 29-2 requires everyone to keep the sidewalk fronting their premises, plus the strip between the curb and right-of-way, free of grass, weeds, and rubbish and in good repair.
(a)It shall be the duty of all persons to keep the sidewalks in front of the premises owned, occupied or controlled by them and the land that lies between the back of the curb and the right-of-way on the side of the street on which their premises are located in good repair and free and clear of all grass, weeds and rubbish.(b)Such persons shall also:(1)Keep the branches of all trees growing along such sidewalks so trimmed and cut as not to interfere with the free use of any part of the sidewalk or street by the public for travel;(2)Keep all irrigating and waste ditches appertaining to, running by or adjacent to such premises, together with the borders thereof, in good repair so as to prevent the escape of water therefrom and so as not to obstruct the easy and natural flow of the water therein;(3)Maintain each alley that is adjacent to their premises free of weeds and debris to the center line of such alley.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Code: Supplement 33 Update 4 | Zoning and Development Code: Supplement 11 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Tempe City Code Section 29-2, in Chapter 29's Article I on streets and sidewalks generally, makes it the duty of all persons to keep the sidewalks in front of premises they own, occupy, or control in good repair and free and clear of grass, weeds, and rubbish, and extends that same duty to the strip of land between the back of the curb and the right-of-way line on their side of the street. The section layers on three related duties: trimming tree branches along the sidewalk so they don't block pedestrian or street travel, keeping adjacent irrigation and waste ditches in good repair so water doesn't escape or back up, and maintaining any adjoining alley free of weeds and debris out to its center line.
This routine repair-and-maintenance duty is separate from the Code's process for the City ordering brand-new sidewalks built: under Sections 29-61 through 29-64, when the City Council orders new sidewalk construction by resolution, the abutting owner must build it within thirty days of notice, and if the owner does not, the City builds it and recovers the cost as a lien collected like a property tax assessment. Section 29-3 similarly lets the City dustproof a neglected alley used for vehicle access at the abutting owners' expense if they don't do it within sixty days of notice.
Violations & Fines
Section 29-2 carries no fine schedule of its own, so failing to keep an abutting sidewalk in repair defaults to the Code's general penalty, Section 1-7: a fine up to $2,500 plus surcharges, up to six months in jail, or both. Where the City has to step in and do the work itself, such as new sidewalk construction under Section 29-63 or alley dustproofing under Section 29-3, the cost is recovered from the property owner as a recorded lien, collected the same way as delinquent property taxes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has to fix a cracked sidewalk in front of my Tempe house?
Does my sidewalk-repair duty include the strip between the curb and the sidewalk?
What if the City orders a whole new sidewalk built on my street?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tempe
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