In Fort Worth, who pays to repair portions of damaged sidewalks in front of your house?
Property owners are responsible for sidewalk maintenance and repair in Fort Worth.
The city does not currently have a separately funded sidewalk maintenance program for repair of deteriorated sidewalks. Chapter 30, Article I of the City Code establishes that sidewalk maintenance is the responsibility of the owner or tenant of property abutting a street.
How does sidewalk maintenance and repair work?
Fort Worth, like many cities across the country, places the maintenance obligation for sidewalks, parkways, driveway approaches and curbs/gutters on the owner of the affected property. City Code, Chapter 30, Article I, Section 30- 1(b) declares that defective, unsafe or hazardous sidewalks, parkways, driveways or curbs are a nuisance.
It further states that when the Transportation & Public Works Department director orders repairs, the maintenance shall be carried out by the owner or the agent in charge, or the tenant of the property, and that failure to do so shall be a misdemeanor. TPW frequently cites the code to inform owners/agents/tenants of their responsibility when asked about sidewalk repairs, however the communication stops short of ordering a repair.
Who pays the cost of repairing damaged sidewalks?
The property owner has responsibility for the cost of sidewalk repair. However, in certain situations, TPW reallocates funding from street maintenance to address urgent sidewalk maintenance needs related to safety and/or ADA compliance. Costs for maintenance can exceed costs for new installations depending upon the size of the projects, contractor pricing for smaller jobs with lower economies of scale and mobilization fees.
