Who is responsible for sidewalk repair in Sacramento? Here’s what property owners should know

When sidewalks aren’t maintained it can make an otherwise walkable city frustrating to navigate.

Sacramento is known for its tree-lined streets. Though beautiful, this makes Sacramento neighborhoods susceptible to root damage and uneven sidewalks. According to a U.S. Forest Service survey, “cities are spending substantial sums of money to address conflicts between street tree roots and infrastructure.”

Who is responsible for sidewalk repairs? Here’s what The Bee found:

Who is in charge of repairs in Sacramento?

In short, it depends.

Sidewalk repairs are ultimately the responsibility of the homeowner that lives directly in front of the sidewalk their property faces, according to California Streets and Highways Code. However, there are specific circumstances where either the county or city will take responsibility.

City guidelines

The city requires property owners to take responsibility for their sidewalks, but curbs and gutters fall under the city’s responsibility.

A defective city sidewalk is determined by an inspector and typically present “vertical or horizontal line of grade is altered or displaced or such other condition exists that interferes with the public convenience in the use of the sidewalk.”

The inspector will notify property owners of repairs needed. If the city doesn’t hear back from the owner on next steps, the city will proceed with repairs and invoice the property owner. If payment is not received on repairs, it can lead to a lien on the property.

If there is root damage on the sidewalk, the city will only remove the tree if it is dying, cannot be pruned or is causing harm to more desirable trees in the area.

Unincorporated county guidelines

The homeowner is ultimately liable for the sidewalk in front of their home.

The county will take on residential curb, gutter and sidewalk repairs if they fall into the SacDot Policy. The criteria mostly covers construction and is prioritized as funding becomes available. When an issue is reported, it is added to the repair list.

If homeowners are unsure if they fall into the policy criteria, they can call 311 and the county will send an inspector over to assess the sidewalk damage.

SacDot Policy helps the county understand how to tackle a repair. It “is more what happens when we have an emergency or we have a tree growth that upends sidewalks, and that just gives us an idea of how we handle those type of situations if we have a curb, or a gutter or a replacement issue,” said Sacramento County spokesman Matt Robinson.

The SacDot Policy guidelines cover any of the following curb, gutter and sidewalk issues:

▪ Repair/replacement criteria

▪ Temporary repairs

▪ Permanent replacement - single-family and duplex residential areas

▪ Permanent replacement - all areas other than single-family and duplex residential areas

▪ Root cutting

▪ Tree removal

Report damaged sidewalk

If you need help resolving a sidewalk repair, simply call 311 to get that process started. The number works for both the city and county of Sacramento.

“The key is just keeping the county in the loop,” said Robinson. “So neighbors, residents call the county we will work with you and then that way we can hopefully help them resolve it a lot faster.”

This story was originally published October 10, 2022 at 1:56 PM.