Town of Mamaroneck, NY Streets and Sidewalks

COUNTY ROADS: Those roads constructed, improved, maintained and repaired under Article 6 of the Highway Law and roads constructed or improved under a general or special law which are maintained by the county.

PERSON: Includes individuals, copartnerships, corporations and incorporated and joint-stock associations.

SIDEWALK: That paved portion of a street intended for pedestrian use and lying between the curbline of the street and the adjacent property line.

STATE HIGHWAY: Those highways constructed or improved under the Highway Law at the sole expense of the state, including the highways specified and described in §§ 340 and 341 of the Highway Law and acts amendatory thereof, including the highways heretofore classified or referred to as county highways elsewhere in the Highway Law and heretofore constructed or improved at the joint expense of the state, county and town or state and county, as heretofore provided by law.

STREET: Any street, road or other public way dedicated to and accepted by the town, including all the area thereof lying within the bounds of the dedicated right-of-way.

TOWN: The unincorporated section of the Town of Mamaroneck.

TOWN HIGHWAY: Those highways constructed, improved or maintained by the town with the aid of the state or county, under the provisions of the Highway Law, including all highways in towns, outside of incorporated villages constituting separate road districts which are not state highways or county roads, as defined in this section.

TOWN SUPERINTENDENT: The Town Superintendent of Highways.

VEHICLE: Every device by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon the street.

§ 187-2 Construction of sidewalks along county roads or state highways.

The Town Board of the Town of Mamaroneck may, by resolution, direct the Town Superintendent to construct a sidewalk along a described portion of any county road or state highway in the manner and not exceeding an expense to be specified in the resolution, and the expense of constructing such sidewalk shall be a town charge and shall be paid in the same manner as other town charges.

No such sidewalks shall be built along any state highway until the State Superintendent of Public Works shall have given his consent thereto, pursuant to § 54 of the Highway Law, and no such sidewalk shall be built along any county road until the County Superintendent of Highways shall have given his consent thereto, pursuant to § 136 of the Highway Law.

§ 187-3 Construction of sidewalks by property owner.

[Amended 7-17-1996 by L.L. No. 14-1996]

Any property owner, after applying for and receiving a permit, may construct a sidewalk or curb on town property or may build a drain from any structure, enclosure or lot of ground at his own expense. Before the owner may proceed with the work, the Town Engineer shall establish proper grades and the same shall be followed in laying such sidewalk, curb or drain. The width, materials and construction of such sidewalks, curbs and drains shall fully conform to standard specifications for such work. No drainage piping shall be allowed to discharge onto the surface of any public right-of-way.

§ 187-4 Supervision of work.

No person or corporation shall have the right to make any opening in any street or highway, including any sidewalk or curb, and all such openings in streets, sidewalks or curbs must be made under the supervision of the Superintendent of Highways and by employees working under him, except as hereinafter provided.

§ 187-5 Street opening permit required; fee.

[Amended 8-17-2011 by L.L. No. 8-2011]

Any individual, corporation, public service corporation or any municipal board or body which is required to maintain substructures in any street or highway, desiring to make or to have made an opening in a street or highway, must make written application for the same, addressed to the Superintendent of Highways. The Superintendent of Highways, except in the case of a public service corporation or municipal board or body required to maintain such substructures in any street or highway, shall have the discretion whether the opening shall be made by town employees or may be made by the applicant. An application for a permit must be accompanied by the fee set forth in § A250-1, made payable to the Superintendent of Highways.

§ 187-6 Bond or indemnity agreement for street openings.

If the street opening is to be made by a person or corporation other than a municipal or public service corporation, the Town Superintendent of Highways may grant a permit for such street opening and make such conditions for the granting of such permit as he considers necessary under the circumstances, including a condition that such person or corporation shall furnish to the Town of Mamaroneck a surety bond in an amount approved by him and in such form as may be approved by the Counsel to the Town, issued by a casualty or indemnity insurance company, which bond shall indemnify the town against all liability and expense by reason of any act or omission in and about the opening of such street. In every case where the Superintendent of Highways issues a permit for the opening of a street or highway, he shall require the applicant for the permit to obtain proper public liability insurance for himself, his contractors, agents or servants, protecting the town and its Superintendent of Highways against any claim for injury to person or property occasioned by the opening of such street.

In the case of a public service corporation or municipal board or body which is required to maintain substructures in any street or highway, the Counsel to the Town, in lieu of a bond, may accept and approve an indemnity agreement between the town and such public service corporation, municipal board or body which is required to maintain substructures in any street or highway or liability insurance protecting the town and its Superintendent of Highways against all liability or expense of whatever kind or nature, by reason of any act or omission of such public service corporation, municipal board or body.

§ 187-7 Safety measures. [1]

All openings in highways shall be properly guarded and shall, between sundown and sunrise, be plainly lighted with red or yellow lights.

[1]

Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code; see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I.

§ 187-8 Responsibility for utilities.

When the work is not done by town employees, every applicant obtaining a permit to open a highway shall be solely responsible for the protection and functioning of all drains, sewers, basins, gas, water pipes, telephone and electric wires and conduits.

§ 187-9 Restoration of surface.

The surface of the highway opened shall be restored to as good condition as previous to the excavation.

§ 187-10 Deposits on streets. [1]

No person shall deposit any article, material or refuse or in any manner obstruct the highway or any part thereof except as provided in § 187-11 of this chapter. Nor shall they pipe a sump pump, roof or footing drains or other water source directly onto or directed from a point source towards or onto the streets, sidewalks or rights-of-way.

[1]

Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code; see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I.

§ 187-11 Building materials permit.

No building material shall be placed upon any highway without a permit for the Superintendent of Highways. Such permit shall be for a period no longer than three months and shall not authorize the obstruction of any sidewalk or gutter or of more than one-third (1/3) of the roadway immediately opposite the lot upon which the building is to be erected and shall be revocable for cause by the Town Board. The holder of such permit shall so guard such material with red lights at night as to avoid accidents. Upon revocation of such permit, all materials deposited pursuant to such permit shall be removed within 48 hours and the highway restored to its original condition.

§ 187-12 Driving across sidewalks and curbs; permit.

No vehicle shall be driven across any sidewalk or curb except at graded crossings in existence and such as may be hereafter constructed without a temporary permit from the Superintendent of Highways. The applicant for such a permit shall deposit with the Superintendent of Highways such sum as is considered by the Superintendent of Highways sufficient to indemnify the Town of Mamaroneck against any damage to the sidewalk or curb but not less than $100.

§ 187-13 Prompt removal of snow and ice.

Every owner, lessee, tenant, occupant or other person having charge or control of any building or lot of land abutting upon any street or public place where the sidewalk is flagged, concreted or otherwise paved or laid shall, within 24 hours after the snow ceases to fall, remove the snow and ice from such sidewalk so as to provide a continuous passageway. In case the snow and ice on the sidewalk shall be frozen so hard that it cannot be removed without injury to the pavement, the owner, lessee, tenant, occupant or other person hereby charged with the duty to remove the same shall, within the time specified above, cause the sidewalk to be strewn with ashes, sand and/or some other abrasive substance and, thereafter as the weather shall permit, shall thoroughly clean said sidewalk.

§ 187-14 Applicability; supersession of § 151 of Highway Law.

This chapter shall not apply to the opening of streets or highways for the purpose of making sewer house connections which are covered by the provisions of resolution or ordinance adopted by the Town Board, August 18, 1936, and amended April 23, 1947, pursuant to the provisions of § 201 of the Town Law.[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: See now Ch. 158, Plumbing, and Ch. 173, Sewers.

This chapter supersedes the provisions of § 151 of the Highway Law as it relates to the construction and maintenance of sidewalks along county roads and state highways as they apply to the Town of Mamaroneck, Westchester County, State of New York.

§ 187-15 Penalties for offenses.

Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter, as the same may be from time to time amended, for which no other penalty is provided, shall be guilty of a violation punishable by imprisonment for not more than 10 days or by a fine of not more than $500, or both.

Additional penalties. Violation of § 187-13 of this chapter shall subject the offender, for each offense, to a civil penalty not to exceed $25.

Every day or part thereof that such violation shall continue shall be deemed to be a separate and distinct violation of said several provisions of this chapter and shall render every person liable for a separate penalty for each such violation.