The owner or owners of any property which abuts or is adjacent
to a public sidewalk shall be responsible for maintaining that portion
of the sidewalk which is adjacent to his or her property, including
but not limited to keeping the public sidewalk free from all obstructions
or materials which may be hazardous to pedestrian traffic and repairing
any damage to such public sidewalks caused by such owner's use
of his or her property. If such owner shall fail to maintain or repair
the sidewalk, the Town Engineer may cause the same to be done and
may collect the cost thereof from said owner as above provided hereafter.
Upon default or neglect of any owner of land to maintain or
repair any sidewalk, or portion thereof, in front of his or her premises
for 15 days' after written notice from the Town Engineer to do
so, the Town may repair such sidewalk, provided that the Town shall
cause a certificate of lien against said owner's real property
that adjoins said sidewalk to be recorded on the land records in the
Town Clerk's office within 30 days from the completion of such
repair in an amount that is equal to the costs occurred by the Town
for such repair.
The Town of North Branford hereby adopts the provisions of Connecticut
General Statutes § 7-163a, as amended, an Act entitled "An
Act Concerning Municipal Liability for Ice and Snow on Public Sidewalks."
The Town of North Branford shall not be liable to any person
injured in person or property caused by the presence of ice or snow
on a public sidewalk unless the Town of North Branford is the owner
or person in possession and control of land abutting such sidewalk,
other than land used as a highway or street, provided further that
the Town of North Branford shall be liable for its affirmative acts
with respect to such sidewalk.
The owner or person in possession and control of land abutting
a public sidewalk shall have the same duty of care with respect to
the presence of ice or snow on such sidewalk toward the portion of
the sidewalk abutting his property as the municipality had prior to
the effective date of this article and shall be liable to persons
injured in person or property where a breach of said duty is the proximate
cause of said injury.
No action to recover damages for injury to the person or property
caused by the presence of ice or snow on a public sidewalk against
a person who owns or is in possession and control of land abutting
a public sidewalk shall be brought but within two years from the date
when the injury is first sustained.