Concrete Sidewalks & Steps in Madison, WI

Concrete sidewalks and steps are the first thing visitors walk on and the first thing you shovel. In Madison, property owners are expected to clear public walks by noon the day after snow stops, according to the City of Madison, so these surfaces get scraped, salted and walked on through the whole winter. A walk that has heaved, a step that rocks or a stoop that has pulled away from the house is a trip hazard and a place for water to get into the foundation.

Private walks, stoops and steps

On your own property we pour and replace:

• Front walks from the public sidewalk or driveway to the door
• Side and back paths to the garage, yard or trash area
• Stoops and landings at front and back doors
• Poured steps, formed in place to the rise your entry needs
• Pads for air conditioners, trash bins and grills

HomeGuide's sidewalk guide says walks are typically 4 to 6 inches thick. We use air-entrained concrete on a compacted stone base, slope walks slightly so water runs off the side, and tool or saw joints every few feet so cracks stay neat.

Steps and stoops

Older Madison houses, about 13 percent of the city's homes built in 1939 or earlier according to Point2Homes, often have original stoops that have settled away from the foundation or lost their surface. Poured steps are formed to your door height, with even risers and treads deep enough for a full foot. HomeGuide notes that steps over 5 feet tall need a landing at least 3 feet long. Railings can be set into the new concrete or mounted afterward. If a stoop is sound but has sunk, lifting it may be an option; see our leveling page.

The public sidewalk and your notice

The walk between your lawn and the terrace usually belongs to the public right-of-way. The City of Madison's Engineering Division runs an Annual Sidewalk Repair and Rehabilitation Program and marks sidewalk that is broken, offset, settled or ponding with a white paint "X." A pink mark with a white "c" means the city can sawcut the offset to a taper at no charge, and owners are not allowed to grind it down themselves.

When you get a notice, the city's brochure gives you two choices:

• Option One: hire your own contractor licensed by the Board of Public Works, get a Street Terrace Permit, notify the Sidewalk Office at 266-4537 within 20 days of the notice date, and pay the contractor in full.
• Option Two: let the city's contractor do the work and pay one-half of the repair cost through a special assessment. Driveway restoration and extras are assessed at full cost. The bill can be paid without interest by October 31 or over five years.

The brochure says almost all owners pick Option Two. If you are thinking about Option One, perhaps to combine the public walk with your own front walk and steps, check the contractor's Board of Public Works license before signing, and keep the 20-day deadline in mind. The brochure also warns that objects within 12 inches of the sidewalk without a permit, such as invisible fencing, sprinklers, plantings or pavers, may be removed or repaired at the owner's expense.

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Winter care for new walks

The city's brochure advises against salt on new sidewalk the first winter, since it can cause surface spalling. After that, shovel first and use as little salt as possible; the city says a 12-ounce coffee mug treats about 10 sidewalk squares and that salt does not work well below 15 degrees. Use sand in deep cold.