A NY City Property Owners Guide to Sidewalk Violation Removal
Hundreds of people are injured each year as a result of slips, trips, and falls on sidewalks and New York City is certainly no exception. In fact, the laws regarding sidewalk maintenance to keep the mass population safe is among the best in NYC as compared to any other city across the globe. City ordinances and local laws in NYC typically dictate the owner’s or occupant’s legal obligation to keep the sidewalk adjacent to their property safe for pedestrians.
This requirement generally comes down to keeping sidewalks in the best shape and take care of the snow removal. The DOT (Department of Transportation) has oversight over the 12,750 miles of the sidewalks. Based on the field complaints and reports of injuries, DOT inspectors visit properties in Brooklyn and check for sidewalk violations where the accident occurred and look for defects like collapsed sidewalks, interference for tree roots, and trip hazards.
The DOT issues sidewalk violation as official notice for sidewalk defects, if any of the issues are found in the sidewalk. What does this notice mean? These are official notices to rectify the issue and correct the defective conditions for general public safety. Note that, a copy of this violation is filled with the County Clerk and remains in their file until the city releases a new notification stating that adequate measures for the sidewalk defect have been taken by the property owner under the influence of sidewalk violation.
What if the file remains open with the County Clerk? Well, if the property owner doesn’t perform due diligence, the violation will add adverse credit and there will be a downfall of the property refinancing.
Your Responsibilities as a Property Owner
If you have received a sidewalk violation, you get 75 days to repair your sidewalks. In emergency conditions, such as collapsed or impassable section, the repair period assigned by the DOT is 10 days. In situations like these, it is a viable option to hire professionals who have the experience and thorough knowledge of sidewalk violation protocols and removal in Brooklyn, Queens, NYC, and more. They should be able to understand DOT specifications for sidewalk repairs.
By complying simply with set requirements by the NYC Sidewalk Law, you can help protect your commercial or residential property and prevent injuries. Property owners must keep adjacent sidewalks and ramps free of defects that can lead to falls and trip hazards. In addition, you need to take care of:
- Surface cleaning: Keeping the sidewalks free of snow, ice, and debris.
- Cracks on the surface have the potential to cause injuries to community members and of course it need regular maintenance.
- Other factors like Crumbling edges can cause damages that detract from sidewalk’s appearance but don’t necessarily require a replacement.
- You need to check if the extent of the damage is high, few indications are sunken or collapsed concrete. You begin to notice it cracks and then it is sunken completely. Unfortunately, this sign can only be resolved with a replacement.
- Frost heaves can occur when the moisture frozen in the gaps expands and contracts, pushing the concrete from its place.
If you see any of these signs in your sidewalks, it is time to call the professionals to install, repave, maintain, reconstruct or repair the sidewalks according to the New York City’s Department of Transportation specifications at their own expense. If you happen to disregard the violations or neglect the sidewalk repairs, it might end up costing you much more money than hiring a sidewalk repair contractor. In the worst case scenario, it can also lead to personal injuries as well as legal liabilities tied to trip-and-fall accidents.
The best alternative available to save yourself from liabilities is hiring the right team for the job. A trained and experienced team will have access to the equipment and expertise to perform beautification on your deteriorating sidewalk. They can handle structural changes, remove the trip hazard, fill in the cracks and also look for deeper issues, and provide you with a hassle free solution.
