The Code lists roughly nine categories of substantial defect, and the most commonly cited is a trip hazard: a vertical grade difference of one half inch or more between adjacent flags, or a surface defect at least one inch across and a half inch deep. Others include missing flags, flags cracked badly enough that pieces could be pulled loose, undermined or rocking flags, improper slope that pools water, and unapproved patchwork. DOT inspectors only cite the specific flags containing a substantial defect, not the whole sidewalk, which is why a PIR sometimes flags just a few squares out of a long frontage. Knowing these categories helps an owner tell a genuine violation risk from a cosmetic flaw.
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