Tuscaloosa, AL Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Sidewalk Repair (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code Sec. 21-19 (Ord. No. 3552, 1993)
- Trigger
- Actual or constructive notice of a defect
- State authority
- Code of Ala. 1975 § 11-49-2
- Damager's duty
- Sec. 21-23: repair within 10 days of notice
- Repealed 2025
- Former Secs. 21-20, 21-21 repair rules
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $500 fine or 6 months
Summary
Tuscaloosa requires all sidewalks to be repaired once the city has actual or constructive notice of a defect, per City Code Sec. 21-19, tracking the state authorization in Code of Ala. 1975 § 11-49-2. The section stops short of creating a new duty of care or criminal liability; separately, Sec. 21-23 makes anyone who damages a curb or sidewalk personally responsible for repairing it.
In accordance with section 11-49-2, Code of Alabama, 1975, all sidewalks are hereby required to be repaired upon actual or constructive notice of a defect therein. This section is not intended to impose any standard of care or criminal responsibility upon any person or entity which does not exist independent of this section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 102).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 21-19, unchanged since the 1962 Code (§ 29-18) and last amended by Ord. No. 3552 in 1993, ties the city's sidewalk-repair duty directly to the state's enabling statute, Code of Ala. " The section is explicit that it creates no standard of care or criminal responsibility beyond what already exists independently, language the city added specifically to limit tort exposure from sidewalk-defect lawsuits. Two neighboring sections that once assigned repair duty and cost-recovery to the director of transportation, former Sec. 21-20 and Sec. 21-21, were repealed outright by Ord.
No. 9627 on June 3, 2025, leaving Sec. 21-19's notice-based duty as the operative city-side rule. On the private side, Sec. 21-23 places the repair burden on whoever causes the damage: any person who knowingly, willfully, negligently, or unintentionally breaks or damages a street curb or paved sidewalk must repair it at their own expense, in a manner satisfactory to the director of transportation, and faces a misdemeanor if the repair is not done within ten days of written notice from the street superintendent. Together the two sections split responsibility: the city acts on defects it has notice of under Sec.
21-19, while a person or contractor who physically damages a sidewalk, through construction equipment or vehicle impact, for example, carries the repair obligation and a firm ten-day deadline under Sec. 21-23.
Violations & Fines
Failing to repair curb or sidewalk damage within ten days of written notice from the street superintendent is a misdemeanor under Sec. 21-23, punishable through the citywide general penalty of up to a $500 fine, up to six months of imprisonment or hard labor, or both, under Code of Ala. 1975 §§ 11-45-1 and 11-45-9. Sec. 21-19 itself imposes no separate criminal penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is responsible for fixing a broken sidewalk in Tuscaloosa?
Does Sec. 21-19 let someone sue the city over a sidewalk injury?
What if I damage a Tuscaloosa sidewalk with my own construction work?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tuscaloosa
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