Sidewalks

There are over 5,000 miles of sidewalk in the City of San Diego. The City is responsible for the maintenance of sidewalk damage caused by vehicle accidents, water main breaks and natural subsidence.

Normal wear and tear or age damage is the responsibility of the homeowner, who can take advantage of the City’s 50/50 Cost Sharing Program to have repairs done. With an ever-increasing sidewalk repair backlog, some delay is to be expected. If your sidewalk is raised or cracked because of a City owned tree, our Urban Forestry section will make the repairs at the request of the property owner.

50/50 Cost Sharing Program

Property owners are responsible for the repair or replacement of their sidewalk in cases of deterioration due to old age, privately owned tree roots, heavy vehicle traffic or drainage from private property. However, the City will split the cost with the property owner as part of the 50/50 Cost Sharing Program.

In this program, the City pays for half of the replacement cost and the property owner pays the other half. The fee is based on a per square foot cost and is the same for all neighborhoods of the City. To qualify for the 50/50 cost-sharing program, the area to be repaired must be at least 75 square feet of old and deteriorated sidewalk not including the section of sidewalk directly behind the driveway entrance. After a field assessment is made, qualified property owners receive a cost share proposal by mail to sign and return. A request for payment is then sent 90 days before construction is expected to commence. The waiting period for sidewalk replacement after the field assessment is approximately 240 days. This is a great way for the property owner to cut their costs for sidewalk replacement.