Rebate offers are determined by assessing the extent of sidewalk repairs needed to ensure full ADA compliance for all adjacent sidewalks of the property. A City representative, trained for this purpose, conducts an evaluation at the eligible site to identify areas requiring repairs and estimate the associated costs to meet the City's compliance standards.
Following ADA guidelines, the representative outlines the necessary scope of work and proposes a rebate offer accordingly.
How is my rebate determined?
Residential and commercial properties have a cap of $12,400 per lot. To see a breakdown off all the work covered by the program, click here for a rebate price sheet and calculate the sidewalk repair cost.
It’s important to note that the rebate is intended to provide financial assistance to complete the project. It may not be enough money to cover the entire repair expenses.
What types of repairs qualify for the rebate?
Sorry. The rebate won’t pay for the walkway up to your house. The Safer Sidewalks LA Rebate Program is limited to sidewalks within the public right-of-way in the city of Los Angeles (sorry, Pasadena and Santa Monica). Basically, any section of sidewalk that is not in compliance with 2010 ADA regulations are covered by the rebate program.
Another important point to consider is this. The Safer Sidewalk LA Rebate Program only covers voluntary sidewalk repairs. If you own property that has sidewalk work that has been mandated by a building permit or other requirements – sorry, you’re not eligible.
Here are some examples of repairs covered by Safer Sidewalks LA:
- Sidewalks that are less than 4 feet wide
- Sidewalks with openings in the joints or grates that are larger than half an inch.
- Uplifts in sidewalks that are taller than ¼ inch.
- Sidewalks that have a cross slope larger than two percent.
- Sidewalks that have been damaged by tree roots and are inaccessible.
- Driveways that don’t have an intersection sidewalk with a minimum four-foot width and a 2% cross slope.
Do you own more than one property with bad sidewalks? Good news! You can apply for the rebate on all of your properties. You just need to submit separate applications for each property.
What properties are NOT eligible for the rebate?
While this is a very generous rebate program, there are certain projects that do not qualify for city rebates. These include:
- Sidewalk construction projects completed before the Safe Sidewalks LA Rebate program began on December 1, 2016.
- Work completed after that date if it was not completed as part of a Class A-Permit linked to an official rebate offer.
- Properties where the maintenance responsibility has transitioned back to the property owner.
- Properties that are part of a development project.
- Properties owned by a government agency.
That said, if you already completed sidewalk repair before the rebate program started, but you still have some crumbling sidewalks yet to fix, those damaged walkways are eligible for the rebate program.
