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Title 40, Public Buildings, Property, and WorksRelease 119-110

§589 Installation, Repair, and Replacement of Sidewalks

Title 40 › SUBTITLE I — FEDERAL PROPERTY AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES › CHAPTER 5 — PROPERTY MANAGEMENT › SUBCHAPTER V — OPERATION OF BUILDINGS AND RELATED ACTIVITIES › § 589

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Federal agencies may install, fix, or replace sidewalks around buildings or grounds that the agency controls, that are owned by the U.S. government, and that are in any U.S. state, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, or a U.S. territory. The work can be paid by reimbursing a state or local government or by other methods. The General Services Administrator, with the OMB Director’s approval, must make the rules for how this is done. Money already appropriated for building repairs and upkeep can be used. This does not make the federal government more legally responsible for injuries or property damage.

Full Legal Text

Title 40, §589

Public Buildings, Property, and Works, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In General.—
An executive agency may install, repair, and replace sidewalks around buildings, installations, property, or grounds that are—
(1)under the agency’s control;
(2)owned by the Federal Government; and
(3)located in a State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or a territory or possession of the United States.
(b)Reimbursement.—
Subsection (a) may be carried out by—
(1)reimbursement to a State or political subdivision of a State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or a territory or possession of the United States; or
(2)a means other than reimbursement.
(c)Regulations.—
Subsection (a) shall be carried out in accordance with regulations the Administrator of General Services prescribes with the approval of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
(d)Use of Amounts.—
Amounts appropriated to an executive agency for installation, repair, and maintenance, generally, are available to carry out this section.
(e)Liability.—
This section does not increase or enlarge the tort liability of the Government for injuries to individuals or damages to property.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 58940:490(i).June 30, 1949, ch. 288, title II, § 210(i), as added Pub. L. 89–344, Nov. 8, 1965, 79 Stat. 1304. In subsections (a) and (b), the words “territory or” are added for consistency in the revised title and with other titles of the United States Code. In subsection (c), the words “Director of the Office of Management and Budget” are substituted for “Director of the Bureau of the Budget” in section 210(i) of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 because the office of Director of the Bureau of the Budget was redesignated the Director of the Office of Management and Budget by section 102(b) of Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1970 (eff. July 1, 1970, 84 Stat. 2085). section 102 of Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1970, was repealed by section 5(b) of the Act of September 13, 1982 (Public Law 97–258, 96 Stat. 1085), the first section of which enacted Title 31, United States Code, but the successor provision, 31:502, continued the designation as Director of the Office of Management and Budget. In subsection (e), the words “beyond such liability presently existing by virtue of any other law” are omitted as unnecessary.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

40 U.S.C. § 589

Title 40, Public Buildings, Property, and Works

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110