Oops, You Just Walked Through A Neighbor's Wet Concrete - Now What Happens?

Even though most of us do it, we probably shouldn't stare at our smartphones while walking, as pedestrians lose focus on their surroundings. If your neighbor poured the best concrete for a driveway or sidewalk and you aren't watching, you might walk through the middle of the wet material, causing footprints – and panic. What should you do, and what is going to happen next?

The first thing you should do is own up to your mistake. Letting the neighbor know right away provides a chance to try to make repairs, especially if it was just poured. Damage that goes unrepaired in the first one to two days may become permanent or extremely difficult to repair. Even if the damage seems minor, walking on curing concrete can force you to learn how to repair concrete cracks in your driveway or sidewalk in the future, as it will become weaker after curing.

Beyond being the neighborly thing to do, notifying the neighbor about your mistake is potentially important to protect yourself legally. Stepping on a neighbor's sidewalk or driveway that has wet concrete could be considered destroying private property. Depending on the laws where you live, it's possible that it could be considered an act of vandalism that results in a misdemeanor charge. If the damage is over a large area, it might result in a felony charge. You might also open yourself to a personal lawsuit, forcing you to make financial restitution for the repairs.

People walking on fresh concrete –- either accidentally or on purpose -– is a more common issue than you may think. However, you might wonder whether walking through wet concrete actually causes serious problems. After all, it's a bit of a tradition for children to put their handprints in freshly poured concrete for an at-home patio or sidewalk. It's fine to allow your kids to put handprints in concrete on your own property. However, it's not legal if that concrete is on someone else's property or city property.

What kinds of problems are possible when you walk through someone else's concrete? In a recent case in downtown Pagosa Springs, CO, law enforcement officers were seeking help with discovering the identities of people who walked through a freshly poured sidewalk in front of a business, causing $10,000 in damage. In a Facebook post, the Colorado Dept. of Transportation said the vandals could receive fines or jail time while having to make restitution for the damage.

In another case in Milford, Ohio, a homeowner attempted to seek restitution from Amazon after one of the company's delivery drivers walked across freshly poured concrete in a driveway. The homeowner estimated the cost to repair the damage at $6,000. That driver ignored warning tape that was around the wet concrete in the driveway. Even if you didn't mean to walk across the wet concrete, you could still be liable for damages in a lawsuit because a court might consider it a negligent act.

Concrete is a highly durable material that hardens over time. However, when it's freshly poured, it remains susceptible to potential damage for quite a while. It's recommended that you wait at least 24 hours before walking on the concrete on purpose. It's an even better idea to wait at least 48 hours before putting weight on the new slab.

If you walk in a neighbor's wet concrete, you might offer to repair or repour it to make up for your mistake. However, concrete work is normally a DIY project you should avoid at all costs, as it's easy for novices to make errors, like mixing it incorrectly or working too slowly. Such errors lead to weakness in the future. Before you can pour the new concrete, you should remove the damaged areas, which can be tiring physical work for DIYers. There just isn't an easy or quick way to fix footprints left in this material after it starts to dry, other than removing and repouring the affected sections.

If you hire a pro to replace the damaged concrete slabs that you walked through on your neighbor's property, you can expect to pay $6 to $14 per square foot. If the concrete only has scuff marks in it from someone walking across it rather than deep footprints, and if the concrete is still wet enough, the concrete contractors might be able to brush away the damage and use a float to make it look normal. Admitting your mistake to your neighbor right away might allow this solution.