July 11, 2016

Financial Responsibility for Sidewalk Repair in Connecticut

A 2015 OLR survey of all 169 municipalities identified the party that is financially responsible for repairing public sidewalks (OLR Report 2015-R-0213). The survey found that 127 municipalities had sidewalk repair policies that were spelled out in ordinances or based on informal practices. (Four municipalities reported no policies and 38 reported not having sidewalks.)

Of the 127 municipalities with sidewalk repair policies, 74 (58%) are responsible for repairing sidewalks and 47 (37%) require abutting property owners to pay for sidewalk repairs, subject to certain exceptions. For example, many municipalities that require abutters to pay for sidewalk repairs exempt them from doing so if the damage was caused by the roots of municipally owned trees. Other municipalities exempt abutters in downtown areas or those whose sidewalks are used by children walking to school.

For specific information on each municipality, click here to read the full report.