San Luis Obispo council approves formal sidewalk ‘notice to correct’ process, allows 30-day delay before formal notices

The San Luis Obispo City Council on May 20 approved a clarified process for issuing informal and formal notices to property owners whose sidewalks are found unsafe, and authorized staff to proceed with formal notices for several properties after a 30‑day buffer. The motion passed 5‑0.

Deputy Public Works Director Greg Crews described the multi-step process the city uses when it identifies sidewalk deficiencies. Crews told the council that the city’s program uses thresholds from its sidewalk inspection program — vertical displacements greater than three quarters of an inch, slopes exceeding 5:1 (20 percent), and cracks or gaps half an inch or wider — to determine when repairs are required. He outlined the city’s timeline for the informal process: acknowledge receipt within 30 days, submit plans within 60 days, obtain an encroachment permit within 90 days, and complete work within 120 days. If there is no progress, staff issues a second informal notice (minimum 90 days), then may ask…