Many of our residential neighborhoods and most municipal business districts have sidewalks along public right-of-ways providing public access throughout our communities. Commonly, sidewalks are constructed with public funding by municipalities or as part of private site developments. The general perception may be that maintenance and repair of these sidewalks is the responsibility of the city in which they are located, though this is not necessarily the case.
The Revised Code of Washington (RCW) Chapter 35.69 allows city councils to place the duty, burden, and expense of sidewalk maintenance and repair upon the property owner directly abutting the improvement. Several of our local cities including Seattle and Tacoma have adopted resolutions that require property owners to maintain sidewalks fit and safe for public travel. The Seattle Department of Transportation and Tacoma Public Works Department identify several conditions for sidewalk repairs including:
· Height differential or separation greater than ½”
· Cracks, separation, or hole greater than 1” in width
· Any piece of sidewalk that can be moved with ordinary foot pressure
· Undermined sidewalks