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Sacramento · Buying & selling

Sidewalk repairs in Sacramento

Sacramento's own rules on sidewalk repairs, with the code text for every value.

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Each rule below links to the section of the Sacramento Municipal Code it was read from, with the code text one click away (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

What Sacramento's code says

Sacramento code What Sacramento's code adds
If the owner does not repair
  • Owner must pay the city's repair bill; unpaid after 30 days, it may become a special assessment on the parcel.
    Applies: The owner has not paid 30 days after getting the invoice.
    § 12.32.120 · code text
    If the owner has not provided payment thirty (30) days after receipt of an invoice for the work provided by the city for repair of a defective sidewalk, the director of finance may initiate proceedings to make the cost of the work performed by the city a special assessment against the parcel(s) of property fronting the repaired sidewalk(s).
City help
  • Owners with severe financial hardship may sign payment agreements; if broken, the city may collect after 10 days' written notice.
    § 12.32.120 · code text
    If the owner fails to perform the agreement, then the city shall have the right to collect the costs in the amount then owing after ten (10) days' written notice is given to the owner.
Liability for injuries
  • The property owner is liable for injury or property damage caused by failing to maintain or repair the sidewalk.
    § 12.32.040 · code text
    If, as a result of the failure of any owner to maintain or repair the sidewalk as required by Section 12.32.020, any person suffers injury or property damage, the property owner shall be liable to such person for the resulting injury or damage.
Deadline to repair
  • Start repairs within 60 days, then finish them without stopping.
    Applies: Counted from when the owner chooses to do the work or hire a licensed contractor, or from the second notice, whichever is first.
    § 12.32.100 · code text
    The owner shall commence the repairs required by the notice to repair within sixty (60) days after the owner elects either to personally perform the repairs, or hire a licensed contractor to perform the repairs, or within sixty (60) days after service of the second notice, whichever occurs first.
Who must repair it
  • The owner must pay for repair work the city does on a defective sidewalk.
    § 12.32.120 · code text
    The owner is responsible to pay the cost of all work provided by the city in connection with the repair of a defective sidewalk, including administrative and inspection costs, upon receipt of an invoice from the city.

Who this affects

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Frequently asked questions

What are the sidewalk repair rules for homeowners in Sacramento?

Sacramento's code: The owner must pay for repair work the city does on a defective sidewalk. (§ 12.32.120); Owner must pay the city's repair bill; unpaid after 30 days, it may become a special assessment on the parcel. (The owner has not paid 30 days after getting the invoice.) (§ 12.32.120).

General information, not legal advice.

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