Sidewalk maintenance falls under the responsibility of property owners. However, the City of Fountain offers a 50/50 Sidewalk Replacement Program to assist homeowners with the associated costs.
This program is available to City of Fountain homeowners on a first-come, first-served basis and will conclude each year once the allocated budget funds have been exhausted. Participants are required to cover 50% of the total project cost.
The City will remove damaged sidewalks that have sunk, buckled, or deteriorated into unsafe conditions, after which a contractor appointed by the City will install the new sidewalk.
Upon submission of an application by the homeowner, the City will review it and arrange an evaluation of the worksite. A City representative will take measurements and calculate the total project cost. Following this evaluation, an agreement will be mailed to the homeowner. This agreement must be signed and returned along with payment of 50% of the total cost. Once payment is received, the homeowner will be contacted to schedule the repairs. All work will be contracted and managed by the City of Fountain, with actual construction expected to begin in the spring and potentially extend into Fall.
Please note that the 2024 50/50 Sidewalk Program has reached capacity for this budget season, and no further applications will be accepted. Homeowners interested in participating in the 2025 program may obtain an application by downloading a 50/50 application or by visiting City Hall, located at 116 South Main Street, Fountain, CO 80817. The next round of applications will open in January 2025.
Completed applications can be submitted in person at the aforementioned location, faxed to the number provided on the application, or emailed to the Public Works Management Assistant (Insert link to email heather@fountaincolorado.org)
Below is the section of the City Code and Supporting State Statue for your review:
City Code
Sec. 12.20.010. - Responsibility of owner.
Sidewalks shall be constructed by owners of property abutting on same, or at their expense, as provided in this chapter, throughout the city, in the manner provided for in section 12.20.020, and in such places and at such times as ordered by the city council.
(Code 1987, § 12.12.010; Ord. No. 28, § 1, 1905)
State Statue
31-15-703. Improvements - petition - construction.
When the owners of sixty percent of the frontage of the lots or lands adjacent to or abutting upon any street or alley or designated portion thereof petition the governing body in writing to construct a sewer, including a storm sewer, in said street or alley or require sidewalks to be constructed along said street or alley or designated portion thereof, it is the duty of the governing body to order said improvement to be made, to assess the cost of said improvement against the lots or lands adjacent to or abutting upon said sidewalk, street, or alley so improved, and to collect the assessment as provided in sections 31-15-401 (1)(d) and 31-15-704.
When the governing body deems it necessary that any sewer, including a storm sewer, should be constructed, it shall construct the same, assess the cost thereof against the adjacent property, and collect the assessment as provided in sections 31-15-401 (1)(d) and 31-15-704. When the governing body deems it necessary that any portion of a sidewalk, curb, and gutter be constructed or repaired, it may, on its own motion, order the same to be done, and if not constructed or repaired by the owner upon notice, the municipality may construct or repair the same, assess the costs thereof against the adjacent property owner, and collect the assessment as provided in sections 31-15-401 (1)(d) and 31-15-704.