Sec. 7-163a. Municipal liability for ice and snow on public sidewalks.
Sec. 7-163a. Municipal liability for ice and snow on public sidewalks. (a) Any
town, city, borough, consolidated town and city or consolidated town and borough may,
by ordinance, adopt the provisions of this section.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 13a-149 or any other general statute
or special act, such town, city, borough, consolidated town and city or consolidated
town and borough 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 such municipality is the
owner or person in possession and control of land abutting such sidewalk, other than
land used as a highway or street, provided such municipality shall be liable for its affirmative acts with respect to such sidewalk.
(c) (1) 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 any ordinance adopted pursuant to the provisions
of this section and shall be liable to persons injured in person or property where a breach
of said duty is the proximate cause of said injury. (2) No action to recover damages for
injury to the person or to 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.
(P.A. 81-340.)
When state owns land abutting public sidewalk, ordinance adopted pursuant to this section does not relieve municipality
of liability for damages caused by ice or snow on sidewalk. 288 C. 1.
Adoption of ordinance by city under statute relieves city of liability for injuries on sidewalk abutting state property,
even though part of the state property is leased to private businesses. 99 CA 492.
Cited. 44 CS 389.