City Sidewalk Network

 
Sidewalks are the foundation of an effective pedestrian network. They are critical links in the transportation network providing a range of users access to commercial districts, schools, businesses, government offices, and recreation areas.
 
Residents of Albany have long been responsible for maintaining in good condition the curb and sidewalk bordering private property. According to California State Law (Streets and Highways Code sections 5600 et seq.) and Albany Municipal Code Chapter XIV, sidewalk repair and maintenance responsibility falls on the adjacent property owner. Compromised sidewalks can be hazardous situations that run the risk of causing injury to the sidewalk user and slip-and-fall lawsuits for property owners and the City.   
 
The City of Albany’s Sidewalk and Pathway Repair Policy was updated by City Council in June 2024 (Resolution No. 2024-55). 
 

Measure P1 Sidewalk Parcel Tax

Sidewalk Parcel Tax Sign
In November 2016, the City passed Measure P1, which enacted a 10-year parcel tax to support repairs to the most damaged sidewalks in Albany. For many years, the City has not had a dedicated funding source for sidewalk repairs. Measure P1 has enabled the City to take a new, proactive approach to improving overall sidewalk conditions, taking care of the worst problems and making the community safer.
 
Repair locations currently follow a prioritization criteria reviewed by Albany's Transportation Commission in April 2024. Repair locations prioritize special access needs, unsafe sidewalks, and sidewalks posing accessibility concerns that were identified during a comprehensive, Citywide survey in 2021. This prioritization utilizes the 2021 survey for a data-driven approach so that repair locations may provide the most benefit to the community at large.

Resident Sidewalk Repairs

In addition to the tax-funded repairs, property owners are also authorized and encouraged to perform any necessary repairs at their expense. If a property owner chooses to repair the sidewalk, they will be required to have a licensed contractor perform the work, and will be responsible for obtaining a City encroachment permit as well as proper inspection of the repair work.
 
See City Standard Specifications and Standard Details for more information about City sidewalk standards.

Sidewalk Repair Program

Phase 1 (2018)
Phase 2 (2018/2019)
Phase 3 (2020)
Phase 4 (2021)
Phase 5 (2022)
Phase 6 (2022)
Phase 7 (2023)
Phase 8 (2023)
Phase 9 (2024)

Map: Program Repairs Completed as of October 2024 

Future Phases

In 2021, the City partnered with Beneficial Designs to perform a comprehensive survey of the City's sidewalks, which the City used to create a geographic information system (GIS) database containing data of hazards and accessibility issues within the sidewalk network. Information regarding the survey and its integration into a more comprehensive and data-driven project design process can be found in the January 2022 Transportation Commission presentation. Phase 5 through Phase 8 prioritized repairs at the most hazardous locations. Currently planned from 2024 through 2026, Phase 9 through Phase 11 will continue to prioritize repairs at unsafe sidewalks and sidewalks posing accessibility concerns that were identified during the survey. A second comprehensive sidewalk survey is tentatively planned for 2025, which will be used to update the City's sidewalk GIS database and refine future repair prioritization.

Residents can report immediate hazards via our Service Request Portal.

Please note that unfortunately, filing a service request does not guarantee that a location will be included in the next round of repairs, as project scopes are determined according to pre-set criteria and analyzed for impact within the community at large.

Program Presentations & Updates

The following presentations and reports include samples of completed work, reviews of prioritization criteria, and general updates on the status of the program. 

July 2018 - Phase 2 Presentation
January 2020 - Program Update
December 2020 - Phase 4 Presentation
January 2022 - Phase 5 Presentation
July 2022 - Phase 6 Presentation
January 2023 - Phase 7 Presentation
September 2023 - Phase 8 Staff Report
February 2024 - Program Update & Milestones
April 2024 - Phase 9 Presentation

Sidewalk Maintenance

In addition to the Sidewalk Repair Program, Public Works performs annual sidewalk shaving in order to extend the life of sidewalks and eliminate tripping hazards. Sidewalk shaving involves “shaving down” vertical offsets up to two inches. This method of sidewalk improvement is an effective way to make sidewalks more accessible to all with minimal interruption to public access.

As of 2020, the City's sidewalks are divided into five Zones of similar size. (MAP) The City conducts sidewalk shaving annually on one Zone per year.

Zone 1 (June 2021): 681 hazards addressed
Zone 2 (May/June 2022): 1,105 hazards addressed
Zone 3 (March/April 2023): 1,255 hazards addressed
Zone 4 (April 2024): 2,333 hazards addressed
Zone 5: scheduled for Spring 2025

Annual Sidewalk Shaving is funded as part of the Public Right-of-Way maintenance program under the Public Works Operating Budget. This program is supported by state Highway Users Tax Account (HUTA) gas tax revenue.