One of the most frequent complaints Angelenos have about their city these days is the unsafe condition of the sidewalks and the paucity of city resources to help fix them.
But that may be starting to change. The city recently launched a new Safe Sidewalks LA initiative, which will “invest $1.4 billion over 30 years to fix sidewalks around the city and make them accessible to everyone.”
One of the programs being funded by Safe Sidewalks LA is a limited-time rebate program for property owners willing to pay up front for their own sidewalk repairs. And a new window for rebate requests under this program opens on October 1. Applications will be accepted for a limited time, based on available funding.
According to the program’s Frequently Asked Questions:
- Eligible participants include “property owners within the City of Los Angeles with sidewalks that are not compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.” Ownership status will be verified for home and business owners, as will business’ city tax standing.
- People who have already applied for or received a Class A permit to repair their sidewalks, but who have not yet completed the work, are also eligible to apply.
- People who have already completed repairs are not elegible to apply.
- A property owner may submit applications for multiple properties (a separate application is required for each property).
- Repairs are limited to sidewalks in the public right of way.
- Covered repairs include “any section of sidewalk not in compliance with the 2010 ADA regulations.” This includes:Uplifts in sidewalks greater than 1/4 inch
Sidewalks with a width less than 4 feet
Sidewalks with a cross slope greater than 2 percent
Sidewalks with openings in joints (gaps) or grates greater than 1/2 inch
Sidewalks with longitudinal slope irregularities causing inaccessibility such as those caused by tree roots
Driveways that do not have an intersecting sidewalk with a minimum 4-foot width and 2% cross slope.
Properties that are not elegible include:
- Commercial or industrial properties that are part of a development project
- Properties for which the maintenance responsibility has already transitioned back to the property owner
- Properties owned by a government agency
To sign up for the rebate program, completing a Service Request through MyLA311 (online or the mobile app), or by calling 311. The City will respond to each request in the order it is received.
Rebate caps are:
- $10,000 per lot for residential (R5 or more restrictive) properties
- $10,000 per lot for commercial and industrial properties, as defined in LAMC 62.104
For more information about the rebate application process, eligibility, contractors, warranties, timelines, materials, how street trees are handled in the repair process…and more, check out the full FAQ at https://sidewalks.lacity.org/rebate-program-frequently-asked-questions
