A street tree lifted the sidewalk in front of our Fremont house. Who pays?
The owner maintains the sidewalk under state law, and Fremont applies that, but the city shares the bill for tree damage. The 50-50 Sidewalk Repair Program covers half of eligible work, up to a limit per property, on sidewalks, curbs and gutters damaged by trees, including trees on private property. Submit a repair request first, pay the contractor in full, then apply for reimbursement. Driveway repair and private sidewalks are not covered.
Can the trip lip on our Fremont sidewalk just be ground down?
Sometimes, by the city. Fremont's Minor Damage Repair Program will grind the concrete or build an asphalt patch where a sidewalk is raised less than 3 inches, subject to staff availability, through a request in the Fremont App. A contractor repairing it under permit works to a different standard: the city's repair detail calls for replacing any section with a lip of 1/4 inch or more and does not permit skin patching.
Does replacing our driveway in Fremont need a permit?
The part on your lot usually does not, if it sits no more than 30 inches above adjacent grade, is not over a basement or story below, and is not part of an accessible route or required exit, according to the Building & Safety Division's no-permit list. The apron from the property line to the street is public right-of-way, so rebuilding it takes an encroachment permit and the city's standard driveway detail.
Can our contractor rinse the concrete truck into the gutter?
No. Fremont's stormwater rules call for mixers to be washed out in a watertight washout in the company's yard, or the washout pumped back into the mixer on site, and they forbid washing anything into a gutter, street or storm drain. Concrete wash water can raise the pH of a creek, which is why the countywide fact sheet on concrete waste treats it as a pollutant. Ask how it will be handled before the pour.
We want to dig into the slope behind our Fremont house for a patio. Is that grading?
It can be. Fremont's grading information sheet requires a grading permit for a cut or fill of more than 2 feet on land sloped over 4 percent, or more than 3 feet on flatter land, and for grading within 100 feet of the top of a creek bank. Excavation for a small retaining wall, under 100 cubic yards and covered by a valid building permit, is excluded. Engineering takes grading applications through Citizen Access.
