San Diego council votes to reduce property owners' permit fees & process time for fixing damaged sidewalks

[Jake]

If you are a property owner in San Diego and have a sidewalk attached to your business, you may be responsible for any repairs that need to be done according to San Diego law. But a new plan has been voted on by the San Diego City Council to help make the process easier and even outright waive the permit fees and expedite the process for sidewalk repairs through June 2026.

Property owners will now have an easier time dealing with damaged sidewalks. In the past, property owners had to submit a repair plan for reviews from city officials. Now all they really need to do is hire a contractor, and simply provide before-and-after photos of what repairs have been done.

It'll help a lot of businesses out, as the city itself has allocated $300,000 just to cover the full cost of repairs in more lower-income areas. This should help reduce the city's legal costs and improve upon public safety on all walkways.

For more on this news, you can read the full article here - La Jolla Light

 

[Winny]

It's crazy to me that the law requires business owners to make repairs to sidewalks near their location. I don't really agree on that, as I always assumed sidewalks were under the town or state jurisdiction to handle if they are in need or repair. But it's good to hear that they are making it easier for people to handle on their own, and the process doesn't sound like you have to go through hurdles to get it done.

 

[W3 Planning and Research]

This is a sad state of affairs. The city is reducing the fees to have the business owners repair the city sidewalks in front of their businesses, that the city is saying is dangerous, that are in the public right of way and legally belong to the city.

In normal states, the developer is on the hook for 2 years for public infrastructure for warranty purposes and after that it belongs to the city and the city is responsible for the repairs.

 

[Eric]

In normal states, the developer is on the hook for 2 years for public infrastructure for warranty purposes and after that it belongs to the city and the city is responsible for the repairs.

This is a California thing. Under CA's Streets and Highways Code section 5610, adjacent property owners are obligated to maintain sidewalks "in such condition that the sidewalk will not endanger persons or property . . . [or] interfere with the public convenience," regardless of the cause of the damage. In practice, different cities have different policies and cities will sometimes assume responsibility for repair costs, e.g., when the damage is due to tree roots from city trees.

 

[Nomad]

This decision to simplify and expedite sidewalk repairs for property owners is a positive development that eases the burden on businesses and promotes public safety. The plan to waive permit fees and streamline the repair process until June 2026 signifies a proactive approach to address the responsibility property owners bear for sidewalk maintenance.
The shift from a detailed review process to a more straightforward system is a pragmatic move.