City of Oakland California

Here's what we do to keep Oakland streets and sidewalks safe, accessible and efficient:

• Rehabilitate streets
• Improve streetscapes (can include trees, lighting, benches, bike racks, etc.)
• Construct and improve curb ramps for disabled access
• Repair slides on City roads
• Establish and update street and sidewalk design standards
• Retrofit bridges
• And much more, including geotechnical investigations, retaining wall repair, pavement resurfacing and federal grant program administration

Interesting Facts About Oakland's Infrastructure - Streets & Sidewalks

• The City maintains 2,300 lane miles of streets and 1,120 miles of linear sidewalk (the distance from Oakland to El Paso, Texas!).
• The City maintains 150 blocks of pedestrian pathways.
• We're currently on an 85-year resurfacing cycle, which means a street will be resurfaced once in your lifetime. (The industry standard is a 25-year cycle.)
• 38% of streets are in good to excellent condition; 38% are in fair condition; and 23% are in poor condition.
• Property owners are responsible for maintaining the sidewalks adjacent to their property, unless the sidewalk is damaged from a City-owned street tree.

The street rehabilitation program works to preserve the City's infrastructure, enhance public access and protect the public from hazardous conditions. For more information about the City of Oakland's 5-Year Paving Plan, Current Paving contracts and to see which streets have been repaved in the last five years, visit our Pavement Management Program page.

The City's Sidewalk Repair Program coordinates and manages the inspection and repair of sidewalks, curbs and gutters.

Repair of sidewalks damaged by official City tree roots is budgeted under the City's Capital Improvement Program (CIP).

• Sidewalk Condition & ADA Survey Final Report (10.3 MB)
• Agenda Report on Sidewalk Survey Findings
• Completed Sidewalk Repair Locations by Contract

  
  Sidewalk Maintenance
  Maintenance and repair of sidewalks is the property owner’s responsibility, except when damage is caused by an official City street tree.

To verify if you have an official City street tree, contact the Public Works Call Center at (510) 615-5566 or learn more in the Tree Services section.  

Sidewalk Repair Permit
Sidewalk repairs that involve less than 25 square feet do not require a City permit. The property owner should contact the City to schedule a sidewalk inspection prior to commencing work to identify limits of repair and after repair is completed. Sidewalk repairs that involve more than 25 square feet require an Engineering: Curb, Gutter, Sidewalk, Driveway Permit from the Building Services - Permit Counter, 250 Frank Ogawa Plaza, 2nd Floor, (510) 238-3443, before the work can commence. After the permit is obtained, the property owner should call (510) 238-3651 to schedule an inspection prior to commencing work to identify limits of repair.  

Sidewalk Inspections

General Assistance (510) 238-3651

Senior Construction Inspector
Lee White (510) 238-7288