[Adopted 11-7-2011 by L.L. No. 10-2011[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This local law was originally adopted as Ch. 131, Art. II, but was renumbered to maintain the organization of the Code.
It is the intention of the Board to protect the health and safety of the community by requiring the owners and occupants of lands utilized for nonresidential or commercial purposes fronting or abutting on any public street, highway or roadway and the owners of lands used for residential purposes to maintain and repair sidewalks and curbing adjacent to their properties in a safe condition for the protection of pedestrians. In order to accomplish this goal, the Town Board is exercising its authority under § 10(1)(ii)(a)(6) and (12) and § 100(1)(ii)(d)(3) of the Municipal Home Rule Law, § 130(15) of the Town Law and any other applicable provision of law now or hereinafter enacted, to supersede and/or expand upon the applicable provision of § 130(4) of the Town Law, and any other applicable or successor law, in order to transfer liability for damage or injury to person or property as a result of the failure to repair and maintain sidewalks, and to remove snow, ice and obstructions or defects therefrom to the abutting owners and occupants of land.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
OCCUPANT
Any person who has lawfully entered upon and is in the possession of real property as a tenant, manager or person having charge of any building or lot of ground or any use thereof or who has an interest in the land which he possesses.
OWNER
Any person having legal interest in real property.
PEDESTRIAN
Any person making use of a sidewalk for foot passage.
PERSON
An individual, partnership, association, corporation, executor, administrator, trustee, guardian, receiver or other person having a legal interest in real property.
SIDEWALK
A walkway along the margin of a street or highway designed and prepared for the use of pedestrians, to the exclusion of motor vehicles.
The owner and occupant of a lot utilized for nonresidential or commercial purposes in any zoning district, the owner of any lot used for residential purposes and the owner of any common area of a condominium or clustered development shall maintain and repair the sidewalk adjoining his lands and shall keep such sidewalk free and clear of and from snow and ice. Such owner or occupant, and each of them, shall be liable for any injury or damage to person or property by reason of the omission, failure or neglect to repair or maintain such sidewalk in a safe condition or to remove snow or ice therefrom.
In case snow and ice on any sidewalk shall be frozen so hard that it cannot be removed without injury to the adjoining sidewalk, it shall be strewn and kept strewn by the owner and occupant responsible for snow and ice removal pursuant to § 160-29 with sand, ashes sawdust or other suitable material so as to be no longer dangerous to life and limb. As soon as practical thereafter, the sidewalks shall be completely cleared of snow, ice and other material strewn thereon, as provided in this article.
It shall be unlawful for the owner and occupant of any parcel of real property identified in § 160-29 to permit any obstruction of any abutting or adjacent sidewalk, except as authorized by permit from the Superintendent of Highways, and such sidewalks shall be kept free and clear from dirt, rubbish, garbage and any vegetation, including but not limited to growth of hedges, trees or other plants, and any other obstruction. Such owner or occupant, and each of them, shall be liable for any injury or damage to person or property by reason of the omission, failure or neglect to remove obstructions and/or defects therefrom.
Upon failure of such owner or occupant to comply with the provisions of §§ 160-29, 160-30 and/or 160-35 of this article, the Superintendent of Highways may cause such snow, ice, dirt or other materials and obstructions to be removed or covered with suitable material and shall, in such event, forthwith file a report of the cost of expenses thereof with the Town Clerk. Said cost and expense, as the same shall appear from said report, shall be a lien upon the premises abutting said sidewalk so reported to have been cleaned or covered as a foresaid until paid, as provided in § 160-36.
The Town Board may, from time to time, by order, require the repair of sidewalks along streets, roads, highways and parkways in the Town and, with the consent of the County Superintendent of Highways or the State Commissioner of Transportation, as the case may be, abutting on a county or state highway, at the expense of the abutting owners or otherwise, upon such notice and pursuant to the authority of the requirements of § 130, Subdivision 4, and § 200-a of the Town Law of the State of New York.
A. 
Whenever the Town Board adopts an order directing the abutting owners of the respective lots or parcels of land in front of which it is desired that sidewalks be relaid or repaired in accordance with this article, the Town Board shall specify the place, manner and time within which the repair shall be completed, which time shall not be less than 30 days from the adoption of the Town Board's order.
B. 
The Town Clerk shall publish a notice of the Town Board's orders pursuant to Subsection A of this section in the official newspaper at least twice, the first publication of which shall be at least 15 days before the time specified for the completion of the work, or the Clerk may serve a copy of the notice by certified mail within five days of adoption of order upon the owner or owners and by first class mail upon the occupant or occupants of the land in front of which it is desired that such repair shall be done.
A. 
Whenever a notice to repair or relay a sidewalk pursuant to an order of the Town Board has been served upon an owner of a lot or parcel of land in front of which it is desired that sidewalks be relaid or repaired and the owner shall not cause the repair to be made to the sidewalk as required by the notice, the Highway Superintendent is hereby authorized and directed to cause the repair to be made as required by notice.
B. 
The Highway Superintendent is hereby authorized to perform such work or repair with his own forces or cause a contract to be let therefor and to pay for the work out of the funds to be appropriated by the Town Board for such purposes.
A. 
The Town shall be reimbursed for the cost of relaying or repairing any sidewalk when made by the Highway Superintendent pursuant to this article by the owner of the respective lot or parcel of land in front of which the repair was made, by assessment upon and collection from the lot or parcel of land determined benefited by the repair; so much of the actual and complete cost upon and from each lot as shall be in just proportion to the amount of the benefit which the improvement shall confer upon the property, as determined by the Town Board, and collected in the same manner and at the same time as other special assessment and ad valorem Town charges.
B. 
Whenever expenditures are made by the Town for repairing sidewalks or removing from sidewalks ice, snow or other accumulations thereon, which under this article are assessable upon the land affected or improved thereby, the Board shall serve a notice of a least 10 days upon the owner or owners of such property, stating that such expenditure has been made, its purpose and amount and that a specified time and place it will meet to make an assessment of the expenditures upon such land. The Board shall meet at the time and place in such notice specified. It shall hear and determine all objections that may be made to such assessment, including the amount thereof, and shall assess upon the land the amount which it may deem just and reasonable, not exceeding, in case of default, the amount stated in the notice. All the provisions of law relating to the enforcement and collection of unpaid taxes and assessments, not inconsistent herewith, shall apply to the collection of such unpaid cost or expense. In addition to the levy of the assessment, an action to recover the amount may be maintained by the Town against the owner or occupant liable therefor.
Any person desirous of obtaining a permit to temporarily obstruct a sidewalk shall obtain a permit from the Superintendent of Highways upon payment of a fee to be established and amended from time to time by resolution of the Town Board. It shall be the duty of such person to barricade the area and to provide warning lights, as required by the Superintendent of Highways, from one hour before sunset to 1/2 hour after sunrise.
A violation of this article is hereby declared to be a violation, and any person violating the same shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $250 for each offense. Each day or part thereof such violation continues after notification by the Town shall be deemed a separate offense punishable in like manner. The Town may also bring an action or proceeding to enjoin the violation and/or to recover the costs incurred by the Town for cleaning up or otherwise remedying the conditions brought about by the violation of this article.