DENVER (KDVR) — Denver will begin charging property owners in 2025 for sidewalks across the city, and most will be charged a flat fee of $150 each year — but there are exceptions.
The sidewalk fees will be used to fund repair and construction programs in the city. The fee was initially approved by voters in 2022 and faced a few setbacks as the city ironed out how the fee would be implemented.
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Property owners subject to the fee will be charged the first half of the annual fee during the first six months of the year and then will face the second portion of the fee in the second half of the year.
The fee will be added to Denver residents’ stormwater bills.
Nancy Kuhn, of the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, told FOX31’s Greg Nieto that this initiative is a first for the city.
“It’s the first time in Denver we’ve ever done something like this: where we’re gonna be tackling sidewalks, citywide,” she said.
Properties with over 230 linear feet of sidewalk would be part of the exception to the flat fee and will be subject to an “impact fee” of $3.50 per foot of sidewalk. In September, the city said it expects the fee to raise $40 million for repairs, projects and administrative costs.
Residents can easily look up their property through the Denver Sidewalk Fee Lookup Tool, available here, which provides a way for individuals to look up any property in the city and see what fee will be imposed.
Hayden Johnson, a West Denver resident and a homeowner who voted for sidewalk fee in 2022, told Nieto he plans to follow the new city online portal.
“You don’t notice the sidewalk until you need to notice it,” he said.
Residents who may have low incomes based on household size may qualify for instant rebates on their sidewalk fees. Property owners receiving the instant rebate for solid waste services will automatically receive the sidewalk rebate, so they do not need to re-apply until their current trash rebate ends. A form is available online here for residents to apply for the rebate.
Other sidewalk-related services offered by the city include the “online services hub,” where people can report major sidewalk damage. The repairs are not completed “on-demand,” but reports allow department staff to inspect and triage damage reports around the city and county.
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Major sidewalk damage reports received and inspected by the Denver Office of Transportation and Infrastructure that have been found to meet the spot repair program criteria can be found online and tracked here. Key issues that may be addressed through spot repairs include adjoining sidewalk sections that have an elevation difference of over an inch, adjoining sidewalk sections separated by gaps of over an inch, and extensive traveling and major breaking of the sidewalk.
The city does not have a timeline yet for when specific sidewalk segments will be repaired or installed under the new program. As the department receives fee payments, it will secure a concrete contractor to begin making spot repairs, as well as hire professional services support to develop a master plan that will include an initial investment plan.
Until then, Denver is continuing to install sidewalks through next year to fill gaps in the city’s sidewalk network. The city pointed to improvements in the Globeville and Elyria/Swansea neighborhoods that will be used to complete the Elevate and Rise bond commitments.
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