Sidewalk Repair and Maintenance: Who is responsible in Louisville, KY?

No one likes the idea of having trip hazards in front of their house, and if you’re faced with this dilemma, you’re probably wondering if it’s up to you to repair and maintain the area.

In many cities and municipalities across the US, it’s up to the property owners to repair sidewalks and similar public areas in front of their homes or businesses.

It may seem counterintuitive that publicly-owned sidewalks are up to private citizens to repair, but this is also how it works in Louisville, Kentucky.

What are property owners responsible for in Louisville?

If your property borders a sidewalk or other similar public space, like steps, parking spaces, or driveways, its repair and maintenance are up to you.

Maintenance of sidewalks and similar public areas can include:

• Keeping trees and shrubs trimmed and out of walkways
• Making sure debris or waste isn’t blocking the area
• Fixing dangerous trip hazards 
• Clearing snow and ice from paths

The Louisville, Kentucky government website explains, “If any portion of a sidewalk or driveway is a danger to the public, the dangerous section must be repaired by the [property] owner.”

How can you repair the sidewalk?

Making sure your sidewalk is safe and properly maintained will prevent people from getting hurt and causing liability issues.

The following are all ways that you can eliminate trip hazards and repair the concrete sidewalk in front of your property:

• Concrete Grinding

Grinding down the trip hazards and uneven parts of the sidewalk can be a cost-effective and quick way to minimize potential harm.

While sometimes concrete grinding is a good option, it comes with some drawbacks, like the potential for future damage to the concrete as it’s exposed to worse freeze-thaw cycles, and its potential to crack and break as grinding makes the concrete thinner.

• Concrete Leveling

Concrete leveling is a great way to bring settled slabs of concrete back to their original position, resolving trip hazards. Concrete leveling is also a fast and inexpensive option for concrete repair.

While concrete leveling is a convenient option in many situations, it doesn’t work under certain conditions, such as if the concrete is crumbling or there is extreme interference from tree roots.

• Concrete Replacement 

Ripping out the concrete and pouring it new is always an option, but it’s typically much more expensive than both leveling and grinding, and comes with more drawbacks, like mismatched slabs, lots of mess, and resettling.

Sometimes replacement is the only option when other repair methods, like concrete grinding and concrete leveling, aren’t a good fit for the job.

Now what?

Now that you know the sidewalk in front of your house or other public spaces that border your property are your responsibility, you can take steps to make sure you keep them properly maintained and free from dangerous conditions.

Not sure where to start? We have lots of resources in our Learning Center all about concrete repair. You may be interested in:

• Pros & Cons of Concrete Leveling
• Top 4 Problems with Concrete Leveling

You can also set up a time for a free consultation and concrete leveling estimate from one of the A-1 Concrete Leveling team members. Click the link below to get started!