Who is responsible for sidewalk repair in Garland?

The short answer

In Garland, the abutting property owner. The City's Street Department says it does not maintain sidewalks and curbs, and it quotes the city ordinance that puts the duty on the owner of the property next to the sidewalk.

The Street Department does run a 50/50 cost share for sidewalk, curb and gutter repair. The City's commercial permitting page says any repair or installation needs the Sidewalk and Approach Application, and that City sidewalk work also needs a Sidewalk Bond.

Every statement on this page about Garland's rules is quoted or summarized from the City of Garland's own pages, opened on October 22 and October 25, 2026. Where the City's text is silent, this page says so. It does not guess.

Check with the city before you act. Codes change, and the answer for one address can turn on details this page has not seen. This page is a starting point, not legal advice.

What the City says

The Street Department's FAQ asks: "The sidewalk and curb in front of my house are damaged. Does the Street Department maintain sidewalks and curbs?" Its answer:

No. Per City Ordinance (Article X, Section 31.134-138), "It shall be the duty of any abutting property owner to keep the sidewalk, parkway, curb and driveway abutting such property in a good and safe condition, free from any defects and hazards."

The duty covers four things: the sidewalk, the parkway, the curb, and the driveway that abut the property. The FAQ is written for a homeowner. The ordinance sentence it quotes says "any abutting property owner," and does not separate homes from commercial property.

How we read it. That quotation is the FAQ's. We did not find or open the ordinance itself, so this page relies on the City's own summary of it. Ask the City for the current text of the sections the FAQ cites before you rely on the exact words.

What the City's pages do not say. The pages we opened do not give a penalty for leaving a sidewalk in poor repair, do not say whether the City may make the repair and bill the owner, and do not define "defects and hazards" with a measurement.

The 50/50 cost share

The same FAQ answer goes on:

"To assist property owners in maintaining these facilities, the Street Department manages a 50/50 cost share program for sidewalk, curb and gutter repair. To inquire about this program, call 972-205-3555."

The City's Sidewalk Participation Program page, opened October 25, 2026, restates the owner duty and sets out the program's terms. It says: "Garland offers three new reductions to supplement its established 50-50 share of sidewalk reconstruction costs." It adds: "A property owner who qualifies in all three categories may now bear as little as 10 percent of the cost of fixing their sidewalk." The three are "An extra 15% if the property has a homestead exemption through Dallas County records," "An extra 15% if the address is in a Community Development Block Grant area as marked by Department of Housing and Urban Development," and "An extra 10% if the property owner is disabled according to Social Security Administration records or is age 65 or older (Supporting Documentation required from Property Owner before reduction is applied)." The page's worked-example table labels that last column "10% 65+ or Military," which names a different group from the sentence above it, so ask the Street Department which applies.

The same page gives a "Sidewalk Request Process Timeline": an inquiry, "3-5 business days"; the sidewalk assessment and submittal documentation, "2 weeks"; concurrence by the property owner and construction, "3-6 months"; and an "Overall time expectation" of "8-12 months." It says: "For more information, contact the Street Department at 972-205-2930 or email Streets@GarlandTX.gov."

How we read it. The reductions are written for a property with a homestead exemption and an owner who may be 65 or older, which reads as a home. The pages we opened do not say whether a commercial property, an apartment community, or an HOA common area can use the program. Ask the Street Department before you plan around it.

Hiring the work yourself

Garland's commercial permitting page for parking lots, sidewalks and approaches says:

"For any repair or installation, please complete the Sidewalk and Approach Application at the top of the page. City sidewalk repair/installation also requires a Sidewalk Bond to be filed with the City."

It adds: "Sidewalk and Approach Repair/Installation must meet City Standards." The City also lists a separate residential Driveway / Sidewalk permit page, which we did not open. Ask the City which application, bond, and standards apply to your property, and when they must be filed.

Private walkways are a separate question

All of the above is about the sidewalk along the street. Walkways inside a property, such as paths through an apartment community, HOA common areas, and retail frontages, are a different question, and the ordinance the FAQ quotes is about sidewalks that abut the property. Find out which kind you have before you report it or ask for a quote.

For the repair methods themselves, see sidewalk grinding, concrete leveling, and sidewalk replacement, and the three-method comparison. If a trip hazard has been reported, the trip-hazard response plan covers what to do on your side while the repair is arranged.

What to do next

1. Confirm the rule for your address with the City of Garland before you hire anyone.
2. Ask about the cost share at 972-205-3555.
3. If you hire the work, ask the City which application and bond it needs, and when they must be filed.
4. Prepare the details. The assessment preparation guide lists what to gather.

This site's inquiry service covers Plano, Allen, McKinney, and Frisco. It does not cover Garland. To ask about a privately maintained walkway in those four cities, describe it on the contact page. The operator reviews every inquiry and replies with the next step. Sending the form is not a booking.