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.
