San Diego revives sidewalk repair fee waiver that saved property owners thousands

San Diego is bringing back a popular program that slashes permit fees for sidewalk repairs from $2,200 to $190, after budget concerns forced city officials to kill the three-year pilot in June.

The program, renamed from "Safe Sidewalks" to the "Sidewalk Replacement Expedite" program, launched Nov. 5 under the Development Services Department, which says it can administer the program without hiring additional staff — the stated reason Transportation Department officials gave for ending the original program.

Under the revived program, property owners who have received a notice of responsibility for damaged sidewalks can self-certify their repairs with before-and-after photos instead of going through a bureaucratic approval process. The $190 fee covers the cost of administering the program, with $176.84 for processing and review and $12.16 for a mapping fee, according to Development Services.

The original pilot waived the permit fee entirely during its three-year run beginning in summer 2023. More than 10 percent of property owners who received eligibility letters had their repair plans approved, with 340 of 550 approved repairs completed. City officials estimated the original program saved property owners more than $1 million in fees and spurred more than $3 million in private repair spending.

Transportation officials killed the program in June, estimating it would cost about $450,000 to hire three full-time workers to keep it running. But Elyse Lowe, director of Development Services, told the Planning Commission last week the revived version can operate without adding headcount.

"It's a very good incentive," Lowe said. "We hope that San Diego property owners will take advantage of this."

The city has a backlog of more than 8,000 needed sidewalk repairs and typically spends between $4 million and $7 million a year — far less than the estimated $17 million annually needed to address the full backlog. The city is responsible for sidewalk damage caused by parkway trees, grade subsidence, and city utility cuts, while property owners bear responsibility for damage from private trees, weather, or normal wear and tear.