My son Hank and I try to get out of the house as often as possible and most of our adventures involve getting the stroller out and heading to visit friends around the Village of Hamburg. As the Village gets older, so do the sidewalks.

I try to find the smoothest route for our travels but, as many of you already can attest to, there are more rough ares than smooth.

Who is responsible for the repairs and replacement of the worn out, bumpy, cracked or uneven sidewalks? It may be hard to believe, but it's you.

In the Village of Hamburg, YOU as a property owner are responsible for the sidewalk in front of your home. As a matter of fact, according to the Villages' code...

"Required sidewalks shall be installed and repaired at the expense of the respective property owners, except in the case of a property adjoining more than one public street, only the sidewalk installed along the longer street right-of-way line shall be installed and repaired at the expense of the property owner, and the sidewalk installed along the shorter street right-of-way shall be installed and repaired at Village expense."

In addition to that rule,

"The owner or occupant of any premises fronting or abutting any street or highway shall repair, keep safe and maintain any sidewalk abutting the premises and keep it free and clear from snow, ice, dirt or other obstruction. Any such owner or occupant shall be liable for any injury or damage by reason of omission or failure to repair, keep safe and maintain such sidewalk or to remove snow, ice or other obstruction therefrom, or negligence in performing those functions."

For Hank and I, it's an adventure and we actually have some fun on our walks trying to plan our route around Hamburg. For some homeowners, it may not be possible to afford any repairs or replacements and before any legal action is taken, it appears the property owners have to be put on notice that their is a problem and have a chance to fix what needs to be fixed.

 

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