SIDEWALKS:
Isn't the City responsible for maintaining all sidewalks and curbs in Los Angeles ?
No. Unless the sidewalk and/or curb is broken by City-owned parkway trees, it is the adjacent property owner's responsibility to maintain. Even though it is considered public right-of-way, the area from the curb-face back is legally the property owner's responsibility (Los Angeles Municipal Code, Chapter VI, Section 62.104).
I reported a broken sidewalk 3 years ago. Street Maintenance repaired it with black asphalt, but why hasn't it been repaired in concrete yet?
Unlike asphalt repairs, concrete sidewalk repairs are not done in single location. Repair requests are collected for a large area and plans are laid to do all needed repairs in that neighborhood at one time in the hopes that no further repairs will be needed for 75 years. As long as funding is available, your location and all of your neighborhood's damaged sidewalks will eventually be repaired in concrete.
How do you pick which sidewalks will be repaired?
Sidewalk work is prioritized by what locations have the highest amount of pedestrian traffic in conjunction with the degree of damage. Our focus is on pedestrian safety and abating trip hazards.
My location is very dangerous and I would like it repaired in concrete immediately.
Please contact our Service Request Line at 1 (800) 996-CITY and report it, or submit an online request from our homepage . We will work with you to resolve your sidewalk issues, though you will have to wait your turn for concrete repair. You also have the option of repairing it yourself by taking out a permit from the Bureau of Engineering and hiring your own contractor to do the work.
My homeowner's insurance is threatening to cancel my policy if my sidewalk isn't repaired immediately.
When you report your damage to our Service Request Line, you will be issued a confirmation that will be mailed to you. As long as the damage is a direct result of a City-owned parkway tree, this document in conjunction with our asphalt repair to abate trip hazard should satisfy your insurance company.
The sidewalks in my neighborhood were perfect and you dug them out and put in new ones. Why did you do that?
Your sidewalks were probably not perfect. Our goal is to make all sidewalks in the neighborhood in which we are improving uniform and as close to perfect as possible in the hope that they will last for the next 75 years.
The new sidewalk you put in is slanted toward the parkway. Shouldn't it be level?
No. Sidewalks are tilted slightly toward the parkway so that water will run toward the street and not pool in the middle of the sidewalk.
My driveway apron is broken because of City trees. Will your crews repair it?
In most instances, any driveway apron that was damaged by trees in the parkway that does not match the slope of the new sidewalk will be corrected to match the sidewalk. If your sidewalk is currently slated for repair and you have specific concerns about your driveway, please call our Service Request line at 1(800) 996-CITY or 3-1-1.
Your crew repaired my sidewalk and broke my sprinklers and my brick walkway. Am I supposed to fix this?
No. Our repair crew will make any needed repairs to your masonry and sprinkler system that are a direct result of our work, but only after the sidewalk has been completely finished. Please call the Service Request line and report the damage if you are concerned that it may have been overlooked. While you are waiting for your broken sprinklers to be repaired, we ask that you please water your lawn by hand until our plumbing crew arrives. If you have been waiting more than 6 weeks for sprinkler repair, please call the Service Request line at 1(800) 966 - CITY or 3-1-1.
During sidewalk construction, my hedge was destroyed and the new grass I planted in the parkway died. Are you going to fix my landscaping?
No. We apologize for the damage done to your property but we do not have the resources to make repairs to landscaping. You must file a Claim for Damages with the City Clerk's Office but there is no guarantee that you will be awarded anything.
I don't have any sidewalks on my street and we need them. What should I do?
Currently, the Bureau of Street Services' Special Projects Division is only funded to repair existing sidewalks. We are involved in no new construction of sidewalks unless dictated by the Mayor and City Council. If you want sidewalks in your neighborhood, please consider the maintenance liability you, as the adjacent property owner will incur. Once they have been built, the sidewalks will become your responsibility to repair in the event of earthquakes, etc. and you, as the adjacent property owner, will be liable for pedestrian accidents that could take place on your sidewalk if it becomes uplifted, cracked, or broken in the years to come.
CURBS & GUTTERS:
Run-off water ponds on the street in front of my house and just sits there. I have reported it to Street Services, but no one's done anything yet.
Street Services will make repairs to your gutter as soon as funding is available. In the meantime, please check yours and your neighbors' sprinkler heads and make sure someone isn't watering the street instead of the lawn. Finding the source of the wasted water may be the best and most immediate solution to your problem.
My curb, gutter, and sidewalk are all raised by that tree in the parkway. I want all the concrete repaired, but I don't want to lose my shade tree.
The City's policy is for the preservation of all parkway trees unless they are diseased. When concrete repair is performed, the roots of the tree will be pruned, but only on one side. If the parkway tree is going to remain, we will only be able to repair either the sidewalk or the curb, at one time or the tree will become unstable.
My curb was broken in the earthquake and then crushed by a moving truck. Who is going to repair it?
The City is only responsible for repairs to curbs damaged by City-owned parkway trees. Otherwise, it is the adjacent property owner's responsibility to make repairs to their curb by taking out a permit from their local Bureau of Engineering office and hiring a private contractor.
DISABLED ACCESS RAMPS:
I'm in a wheelchair and need access ramps on the sidewalk corners near my house so I don't have to go down my neighbors' steep driveways.
Please call our Service Request line at 1 (800) 996-CITY or 3-1-1 and request a ramp. The more specific you can be about what intersections and which corners you require, the better. We are dedicated to making the City of Los Angeles' public right for accessible.
I requested ramps on my street months ago and no one's done anything yet.
We will get to your area as soon as possible. If you have requested a ramp and the location is within the parameters of the ADA regulations, then we will construct it eventually, as long as there is funding. Please call the Service Request line at 1(800) 966 - CITY or 3-1-1.
Your crews built ramps on every corner in my neighborhood and no one except kids on skateboards use them. Why did you waste the City's money on these things?
With the foresight that there will be elderly, if not disabled people living in your neighborhood one day, the Americans with Disabilities Act requires that all public sidewalk corners be outfitted with ramps. The City of Los Angeles is striving to meet those demands as quickly as possible. Eventually there will be ramps at every sidewalk corner in the City.
OTHER QUESTIONS:
I have other questions about City Services. With whom can I talk?
For information and direction to the appropriate service you require, please dial 3-1-1 for assistance and the operator will connect you to the Bureau with whom you need to speak. Or visit the Bureau of Street Services website and the City of Los Angeles website for other information.
