Who’s responsible for sidewalk damage in front of your Modesto home? How to report
If tree roots damage the sidewalk in front of your Modesto home, do you have to pay to repair it?
What if the sidewalk is damaged for another reason? Who’s responsible?
Modesto’s sidewalks are a public right of way, according to city spokeswoman Diana Ruiz-Del Re.
If a city tree is responsible for the damaged sidewalk, she said, the city will make the repairs. Those fixes are done in a “progressive management system,” Ruiz-Del Re said.
The first step is to grind the uneven sections of the sidewalk. Step two is to asphalt patch the damaged area, and the third step is a full replacement, the city spokeswoman said.
Is it legal to have a damaged sidewalk?
It’s against the law for a Modesto property owner to let the sidewalk in front of their property remain damaged without reporting it to the city, according to a municipal code.
Every person must keep their section of sidewalk in a condition that is not dangerous, doesn’t interfere with public convenience and is not an obstruction to pedestrian or vehicular traffic, according to the code.
“The city of Modesto relies on its citizens or property owner to report issues with the sidewalk,” Ruiz-Del Re said. “(The issue) will then be evaluated by staff.”
Property owners will face financial liability for sidewalk damage unless they report it to the city, she said.
The city has budgeted $1.8 million to fix a backlog of roughly 500 sections of sidewalk in Modesto — along with curbs and gutters — damaged by tree roots.
How to report sidewalk damage in Modesto
If your sidewalk is damaged, you can report it to Streets Services at 209-342-2244 or submit a service request online at tinyurl.com/sidewalkfix.
You can also choose to have the sidewalk replaced at your own expense, Ruiz-Del Re said. In that case, the permit fee is waived.
This story was originally published November 16, 2023 at 7:26 AM.
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