tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3691443357565660405.post5144331465104571026..comments2023-11-15T02:27:36.970-08:00Comments on Where the Sidewalk Starts: Whose sidewalks are they, anyway? Part 2Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536352807462056872noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3691443357565660405.post-53677507505891602522014-01-09T16:34:22.679-08:002014-01-09T16:34:22.679-08:00The law concerning who "owns" the sidewa...The law concerning who "owns" the sidewalk can vary from state to state, which certainly can lead to confusion. Beyond this, the actual property boundaries (where the public right of way ends and private property begins) aren't always as obvious as you might imagine--sometimes "private" features (fences, landscaping, even buildings) are actually placed within the public right of way. At the same time, sometimes private property owners build a walkway in front of their homes that people assume is a public sidewalk, but technically isn't. As with so many things regarding access and property rights, it's often more complicated than it seems at first (and even officials who theoretically *should* know the law sometimes don't, or have different interpretations of the same law).Katiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15536352807462056872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3691443357565660405.post-77339729643243325922014-01-09T10:01:29.377-08:002014-01-09T10:01:29.377-08:00According to the Dept of Highways the sidewalk bel...According to the Dept of Highways the sidewalk belongs to the person who owns the property where the sidewalk is. I recently had a nasty harassing neighbor try to make a path on our snowy sidewalk before we had a chance to clear it. It was 19:30 am and I was ready to make breakfast and then go out to clear the sidewalk. We have two different-sized snow blowers and three snow shovels. We do a great job. So I told my neighbor that we clear our own sidewalk and he told me the sidewalk was not mine but belonged to everybody. He was sarcastic. I called the Maryland precinct and told them about the matter and they agreed with him that he had the right to shovel our sidewalk if he pleased. I then called another precinct and they too agreed that the sidewalk could be cleared by him without our permission. So yesterday I pursued the problem and called the State's Attorney General and they said it WAS my property and to call the Dept. of Highways who are are in charge of roads and highways and sidewalks. I was told that our sidewalk indeed belongs to us and that the neighbor was not simply walking across our sidewalk which is the permitted but clearing our sidewalk without permission and against our permission meant he was trespassing and should have been arrested.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00382352017806686196noreply@blogger.com