267 cities and 50 state codes read on one day. 0 states set a deadline.
Sidewalk Snow Removal Rules by State and City
Which cities publish a deadline for clearing a walk, what each one actually says, the width and the penalty that come with it, and the section every line was read from.
0
States that set a shovelling deadline
of the 50 read
150
Cities that publish one
of 187 with an ordinance
0 to 72h
The range those cities publish
74 of them land on exactly a day
68h
Widest gap inside one state
Maine: Waterville to Lewiston
The finding
No state in the country puts an hour on it
The duty to clear a public sidewalk is one of the few obligations most householders have that is written entirely by a city council. 13 of the 50 legislatures have a statute that touches sidewalk snow at all, and every one of the 13 is quoted in full below. Not one sets a deadline.
10 of them do only one thing, which is to hand the question down: they say a city or a town may pass a rule of its own, and stop there. One puts the duty on the abutting owner and calls the time reasonable without saying what that is. One tells the city to do the work itself and charge the property. One is a cross reference its own cities point at. The remaining 6 are notes rather than duties, and 37 states have nothing on the subject at all.
Which is why a search that names a state comes back with an hour count written for a city the reader does not live in. The number always belongs to a municipality, and it travels no further than that municipality’s boundary.
The 13 state statutes that touch sidewalk snow, read September 23, 2026. The last column counts the cities in that state that went on to write their own clock anyway.
187 of the 267 cities read here publish an ordinance requiring the walk cleared. 150 of those count in hours, and the counts run from no hours at all to 72. 74 cities land on exactly a day, which is what makes twenty four hours look like a national rule when it is only the commonest local one. 57 give twelve hours or less and 18 give more than a day.
The bar below splits those 150 cities by how long they allow. It is one colour at five depths rather than five colours, because these are not five different kinds of rule: they are the same rule written tighter or looser by councils that never consulted each other.
3 of 150No hours allowed
23 of 150Six hours or less
31 of 150Within twelve hours
75 of 150Within a day
18 of 150More than a day
Every ordinance on these pages is asking for this and is the only body that says when. No state legislature in the country has put an hour on it: thirteen have a statute about sidewalk snow at all, and ten of those do nothing but let a city decide. The deadline a reader is looking for is a city ordinance, and the city next door has usually written a different one. “Plowed and Shoveled Snow - Sidewalk Cleared in Winter - Minnesota (39585988775)”, Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, CC BY 2.0
Every deadline, in the ordinance’s own words
The 150 cities that count in hours
Ordered tightest first. The middle column is the city’s own sentence rather than a number, because a good many of these cities set one clock for a house and another for a shop, and a single figure cannot hold both. The band chip beside it is the sorting key that put the row where it is.
Almost every count runs from the end of the snowfall rather than from its start, which is the one drafting choice the ordinances broadly share. What counts as the end of it is left to the wording each city chose.
150 cities that publish a count of hours, read September 23, 2026. Ordered tightest first.
within two hours after the snow or ice ceases to fall during daylight hours, or by 10:00 a.m. the following day where it ceased during the nighttime, on the streets in the snow removal districtsThe city may clear it and charge the property
within three hours after the precipitation has stopped, or by 11:00 a.m. the following morning when it stops between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.Penalty: a municipal infraction, with the fine set by annual resolution of the City CouncilThe city may clear it and charge the property
within three hours after it stopped snowing, or within three hours after sunrise when it snowed overnightPenalty: $200 commercial, $100 residential with more than 16 units, $50 residential with 16 or fewer units, for failure to remove snow or ice from a sidewalk
within four (4) hours of daylight immediately following the cessation of any fall of snow, or accumulation of ice thereonPenalty: a fine of up to two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) and as may be amended by state law, with each day a separate offenseThe city may clear it and charge the property
within a reasonable time after such snow has ceased to fall, and under unusual or extraordinary circumstances within four hours if the snow falls in the day time or before 11:00 in the forenoon next succeeding if it falls in the night timePenalty: a fine of fifty dollars ($50.00)
four hours if the snow stops between 7 AM and 5 PM, fourteen hours if it stops between 5 PM and 9 PM, and by 11 AM if it stops between 9 PM and 7 AMPenalty: up to $250 from the Department of Sanitation
after the ceasing to fall of snow, if in the daytime within four (4) hours, and if in the nighttime before 12:00 noon the next succeeding dayThe city may clear it and charge the property
within five hours of daylight, after the ceasing to fall of any snowPenalty: not to exceed the maximum fine allowable in Newport Municipal Court, under the general code penalty, since section 9.08.110 prints no penalty of its own
within six (6) hours of the ceasing of such fall or freezing in the daytime, or before 9:00 am of the succeeding day where the fall or freezing is in the nighttimePenalty: ninety-nine dollars ($99.00), with each day a separate offenseThe city may clear it and charge the property
within six (6) hours of daylight following the accumulation of ice or snow upon the sidewalksPenalty: fifty dollars ($50.00) for each dayThe city may clear it and charge the property
within six hours after the snow ceases to fall or the city's snow emergency lights are turned off, whichever time is laterPenalty: $50.00 for the first offense and $100.00 for each subsequent offense
within eight (8) hours after the cessation of any storm, or before 10:00 a.m. the following day where the snow fell in the nighttimeThe city may clear it and charge the property
within eight hours after the snow has stopped falling for a residential building or vacant lot, and within four hours for a commercial building or non residential structure; where the snowfall ceased during the night the clock runs from sunrisePenalty: a fine of up to $2,000.00 and/or imprisonment for up to 90 days and/or up to 90 days of community service, in the discretion of the Court, under the general penalty at Section 1-25The city may clear it and charge the property
within the first eight (8) hours of daylight after the end of any snowfallPenalty: not less than $25.00 nor more than $500.00 for each calendar day, plus a $100.00 administrative penalty if the fine is unpaid after thirty daysThe city may clear it and charge the property
within two hours of a daytime snowfall for a place of business or a listed zoning district, and within ten hours in any other districtPenalty: not less than $35.00 or more than $150.00 for each offense
within twelve (12) hours after a storm which ends between the hours of 3:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. and within nine (9) hours after a storm which ends between 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m.Penalty: seventy-five dollars ($75.00) for each offenseThe city may clear it and charge the property
within 12 hours after the same shall have fallen, been deposited or found, or within six hours after sunrise when the same shall have occurred in the nighttimeThe city may clear it and charge the property
within twelve (12) hours of the ceasing of such fall or freezing in the daytime, or before 10:00 a.m. of the succeeding day where the fall or freezing is in the nighttimePenalty: not less than twenty-five dollars ($25.) nor more than ninety dollars ($90.) for each offense
within twelve (12) hours after snow stops fallingPenalty: a municipal infraction, a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100.00)The city may clear it and charge the property
more than twelve (12) hours from the last snowfall or freeze brings a removal order, then twelve (12) hours from receipt of that noticeThe city may clear it and charge the property
within twelve (12) hours after it has fallen or accumulatedPenalty: not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) or more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) per violation
within twelve (12) hours of daylight after the same shall be formed or fall thereonPenalty: not less than $100.00 nor more than $2,000.00, and/or up to 90 days imprisonment, and/or up to 90 days of community service, under the general penalty at Section 1.12.010The city may clear it and charge the property
within twelve (12) daylight hours after the same shall fall or be formed thereonPenalty: $100.00 plus $15.00 court costs, payable by mail without a court appearance unless the summons or the court requires oneThe city may clear it and charge the property
within twelve (12) hours of daylight after the same shall fall or be formedPenalty: a fine not exceeding $1,000.00, or up to 90 days in the County Jail, or up to 90 days of community service, under the general penalty at Section 1-5.1The city may clear it and charge the property
within a reasonable time, which will ordinarily not exceed 12 hours after the abatement of any stormPenalty: a minor misdemeanorThe city may clear it and charge the property
within the first twelve (12) hours after any snow has ceased to fallPenalty: a fine not exceeding $500.00 under the town general penalty, which section 16-9 routes violations of chapter 16 toThe city may clear it and charge the property
within twelve (12) hours after snow has ceased to fall for commercial property; within eighteen (18) hours after snow has ceased to fall, or within eighteen (18) hours after the city conducts its last snow clearing for that storm on the adjacent street, whichever is later, for residential propertyPenalty: $250.00 first offence, $500.00 second offence in the same winter season, $1,000.00 any subsequent offence in the same season for commercial property; $75.00 first offence, $125.00 second offence in the same winter season, $250.00 any subsequent offence in the same season for residential propertyThe city may clear it and charge the property
within 24 hours after a snowfall ends, and 48 hours after a snow emergency (emergency declaration) is declared by the cityPenalty: An administrative fee of $25 for single-family homes and $50 for all othersThe city may clear it and charge the property
within twenty-four (24) hours after a storm endsPenalty: a one hundred dollar ($100.00) fine, or an amount up to the maximum allowed under state statute, with each day a separate offense
within 24 hours from the time the snow ceases to fall or the ice to formPenalty: $5.00 to $25.00 for each day offenses continue for an RS classified building, $125.00 to $300.00 for each day for any other classification, or a civil citation of $100.00 for each such violationThe city may clear it and charge the property
a longer period than 24 hours after the snow has ceased to fall or the ice has ceased to formPenalty: a civil violation punishable by a fine up to but not exceeding $1,000.00, each day a continuing violation continues being a separate offenseThe city may clear it and charge the property
within 24 hours after such snow may cease to fall or after the formation of such icePenalty: a fine of $1.00 per linear foot of uncleared sidewalk up to a maximum fine of $25.00 besides the cost of prosecution
within the twenty four (24) hour period immediately following the cessation of a Precipitation EventPenalty: an infraction in an amount set from time to time by City CouncilThe city may clear it and charge the property
within twenty-four (24) hours after the public announcement of the Director of Public WorksPenalty: no fineThe city may clear it and charge the property
within twenty-four (24) hours of the cessation of any snowfall, ice formation event, or winter weather event resulting in an accumulationPenalty: $50.00 for a first violation, $200.00 for a second, $450.00 for a third and any subsequentThe city may clear it and charge the property
within 24 hours after the snow stops falling when accumulations are less than six inches, and within 36 hours after six or more inchesPenalty: $50.00 for sidewalks less than 200 linear feet in length, or $100.00 for sidewalks longer than 200 feetThe city may clear it and charge the property
within twenty-four hours after snow or ice has ceased to fall or in any way accumulatePenalty: $50 for a first violation, $100 for a second, $150 for a third and subsequent
within twenty-four (24) hours after such snow and/or ice has fallen or accumulatedPenalty: not less than $15.00 for the first violation, and not less than $25.00 for each violation thereafterThe city may clear it and charge the property
not more than twenty four (24) hoursPenalty: $250.00 first offense, $500.00 second, $750.00 third, for each day a violation exists or continuesThe city may clear it and charge the property
within 24 hours from the time that the snow or ice storm ends, or within 24 hours after sunrise where it fell in the nighttimeThe city may clear it and charge the property
Within 24 hours after the fall of any snowPenalty: a misdemeanor, a fine of $25 for each failure and an additional $25 for each day the obstruction continuesThe city may clear it and charge the property
within twenty-four (24) hours after the fall of any snow, and within six (6) hours in the named commercial areasPenalty: a municipal infraction punishable by a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100.00)
within 24 hours after a snowfall of three inches or less, 48 hours after more than three inches, and 72 hours after more than ten inchesPenalty: a municipal infraction, with the fine set by resolution of the Mayor and CouncilThe city may clear it and charge the property
within 24 hours after the end of each accumulation of snow greater than 1 inch for R1, R2 and R3 residential property; by noon for snow that accumulated before 6:00 a.m. next to property that is not R1, R2 or R3Penalty: not less than $60.00 and up to $100.00 for a first citation in a season at R1, R2 or R3 residential property, rising to not less than $200.00 and up to $400.00 for each additional citation; not less than $250.00 and up to $500.00 for a first citation elsewhereThe city may clear it and charge the property
within 24 hours after the snow or ice has fallen or formedPenalty: $50.00 for a first offence at a one- or two-family dwelling, $100.00 for a second repeat offence and $200.00 for a third or subsequent repeat offence
more than 24 hours after the same has fallen or formedPenalty: $50.00 at Tier 1 and $25.00 at Tier 2, rising to $200.00 and $100.00 for a second or subsequent repeat offenceThe city may clear it and charge the property
within the first twenty-four (24) hours after the ceasing to fall of any snow for one- and two-family dwellings; within the first four (4) hours of daytime for every other building or lotPenalty: a petty misdemeanor, and each hour after the deadline is a separate violationThe city may clear it and charge the property
within 24-hours of snowfall endingPenalty: in a residential zone $40 for a first citation, $60 for a second and $120 for a third or more; in a commercial, central business district or industrial zone $60, $100 and $200The city may clear it and charge the property
within 24 hours following the termination of any snowstorm or the formation of ice from any causePenalty: a penal offenseThe city may clear it and charge the property
within twenty four (24) hours after the cessation of snowfall, and in the B-2 and B-3 Zoning Districts by nine o'clock (9:00) A.M. of the next business day, by twelve o'clock (12:00) noon of the next non-business day, or within four (4) business hours after any snow or ice deposit, whichever period is shorterPenalty: a civil penalty of fifty dollars ($50.00), or thirty percent (30%) of such costs, whichever is greaterThe city may clear it and charge the property
no less than twenty-four (24) hours after any occurrence of snowfall, sleet, or freezing rain has endedPenalty: a misdemeanor, the minimum fine for which shall be twenty-five dollars ($25.00)The city may clear it and charge the property
within twenty-four hours after the cessation of any storm or snow fall, and within six hours in the Central Business DistrictPenalty: a fine of not less than one dollar nor more than five hundred dollars for each offenseThe city may clear it and charge the property
within 24 hours after the city has declared that snow removal operations on the city's major streets are completePenalty: a fine of not exceeding $500.00, or by imprisonment not to exceed six months, or bothThe city may clear it and charge the property
within 24 hours after the same shall fall or be formed thereonPenalty: a fine not exceeding $2,000, and/or imprisonment not exceeding 90 days, and/or a period of community service not exceeding 90 days, with each day a separate offenseThe city may clear it and charge the property
within 24 hours after any snowfallPenalty: a violation punishable by a fine not exceeding $500.00 or by imprisonment not exceeding 15 days or both, under the general penalty where no specific penalty is provided
within 24 hours after the snow falls or ice formsPenalty: a fine or penalty not to exceed $1,500.00, and imprisonment not to exceed thirty days for one offenseThe city may clear it and charge the property
within 24 hours after the same has fallen or accumulatedPenalty: a fine not exceeding $1,500.00 and imprisonment not to exceed 30 days, or bothThe city may clear it and charge the property
a period of twenty-four hours after the fall of snowPenalty: a minor misdemeanor, plus an administrative charge of two hundred dollars for each notice processed and a fine of two hundred fifty dollars for a third or subsequent notice in a calendar yearThe city may clear it and charge the property
within twenty-four (24) hours after any snowfall, sleet or ice stormPenalty: a fine of not more than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00), excluding costs, fees and assessments
within the first 24 hours after any snow has ceased to fallPenalty: a written warning for a first offense, $25.00 for a second offense, and $75.00 for a third and subsequent offensesThe city may clear it and charge the property
within 24 hours after the snow stopsPenalty: fines range from $50 to $200 depending on the size of the property and how long the snow or ice has been left
within 24 hours after the snow or sleet has ceased to fall when the total snow accumulation is six inches or less and within 48 hours when the snow accumulation is greater than six inchesThe city may clear it and charge the property
within 24 hours of the weather event, for sidewalks within the listed commercial areasPenalty: billed at a rate of $175 per hourThe city may clear it and charge the property
within twenty-four (24) hours of the day following a snow fallPenalty: $20.00 for a first violation in a calendar year, $40.00 for the second and third, $60.00 for the fourth and every violation after that, doubled if not paid within seven daysThe city may clear it and charge the property
within 24 hours after the snow or ice has fallen or accumulated thereonPenalty: a forfeiture of no less than $75.00 for a first violation and not less than $100.00 for the second and any subsequent violation within a two year period, plus costs of prosecution and assessmentsThe city may clear it and charge the property
within 24 hours after the snow or ice has ceased to fallPenalty: a special charge of $75, an additional special charge of $100 for a condition left in violation, and $125 on a subsequent failure in the same calendar yearThe city may clear it and charge the property
within a reasonable time but in no case more than 48 hours following the cessation of the weather eventPenalty: $75 administrative penalty for a first offense, larger for repeat violations over three yearsThe city may clear it and charge the property
no longer than 48 hours after the snow eventPenalty: civil citations with penalties up to $750 plus court costsThe city may clear it and charge the property
within forty-eight (48) hours in most of the city, within twenty-four (24) hours within three blocks of schools and hospitals and in the Downtown Business District
within forty-eight (48) hours after the cessation of any storm or fall of snow, and within four (4) hours for a place of business; where the snow or ice ceases during the hours of darkness the quality of life rule starts the clock at daybreakPenalty: $300.00, listed as violation QOL-017 Snow and ice removal from sidewalks on the quality of life fine schedule, payment due in 48 hoursThe city may clear it and charge the property
within 48 hours after a storm has passed, in Tier I priority areasPenalty: First and second citation: $52 each; Third plus citation in 12 months: $103 each
within 72 hours, for snow or ice that has been shoveled, thrown, plowed or deposited on a winter-maintained public sidewalkPenalty: a fine equal to twice the removal costs, minimum $200.00, for a first offence; a fine equal to three times the removal costs, minimum $400.00, for a second or subsequent violation within two yearsThe city may clear it and charge the property
within 72 hours after the ice forms or the snow ceases to fall thereonPenalty: an infraction, punishable by the general penalty provided in Section 1-8The city may clear it and charge the property
within seventy-two (72) hours after the conclusion of a snow stormPenalty: a criminal infraction punishable with a fine of one hundred and fifty dollars ($150.00)
within the first 72 hours after any snow or ice has ceased to fall, on priority sidewalks onlyPenalty: a warning for the first offense, $100.00 for the second offense, $175.00 for the third offense, and no less than $250.00 for the fourth and each subsequent offenseThe city may clear it and charge the property
21 cities set a time of day rather than a count of hours, which is a different instrument entirely: a deadline of noon the following day gives a householder twenty hours after an evening storm and four after a morning one. One city sets a depth of snow instead, so the ordinance does not engage at all below it.
None of these carries an hour count on this site, because assigning one would mean inventing a storm to measure it from. They are listed on their own terms.
22 cities whose deadline is not a count of hours, read September 23, 2026.
businesses need to begin clearing their sidewalks immediately. Residences need to clear their sidewalks by the next dayA time of day rather than a count of hours
snow that falls between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. by 10:00 p.m. the same day, and snow that falls overnight between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. by 10:00 a.m. the same dayA time of day rather than a count of hours
before 9:00 a.m. of the following day for snow that falls after 7:00 p.m., and by 7:00 p.m. of the same day for snow that falls after 9:00 a.m.A time of day rather than a count of hours
every day by six o'clock in the afternoon of the following day, and within four hours after snow ceases to fall inside the special assessment districtA time of day rather than a count of hours
by 9:00 a.m. on the day subsequent to any snowfall in the central business district; immediately after the fall of any snow elsewhereA time of day rather than a count of hours
A house on one side of a city line in Maine has 4 hours and a house on the other has 72, a gap of 68 hours inside one state. Waterville is the tightest and Lewiston the loosest, and both are current, both published by the city they govern.
23 states carry a gap like it between their own cities. Any page that prints one figure per state has picked one city off a list and called it the law of everywhere else.
23 states where the cities read disagree, widest first. Read September 23, 2026.
105 of the 187 cities with an ordinance print a penalty, 85 of them as a dollar figure. But 102 of them, 55 percent, publish a rule letting the city send a crew and put the cost on the property, often as a lien or a special assessment rather than as a fine. That is the commoner route, and it is the one most national write ups leave out.
Both are set out below in the sentence each was read from, because a penalty clause paraphrased is a different statement than the one the city made.
The first 40 of 102 cities that publish a rule letting the city clear the walk and charge the property. Every one is on its own state page. Read September 23, 2026.
On the failure of any persons named above to remove snow and ice from the sidewalks and gutters, the proper city officials may cause such snow and ice to be immediately removed by laborers employed by the city; in such event, the costs and charges of removing the snow and ice shall become a lien and charge against the premises, to be paid on demand to the city clerk by the person failing to observe the provisions of paragraph A of this subsection.
If snow, ice or accumulations from abutting property are not removed from sidewalks with reasonable dispatch by the owner or occupant of such abutting property, the same shall be removed by the city, without notice to the property owners or other notice, and the expense of such removal shall be assessed on the property abutting from the front of which such snow, ice or other accumulations shall be removed, and such expense shall be certified and collected as other taxes
If any occupant or owner shall neglect or fail to clear ice or snow from the sidewalk adjoining his premises within the time allowed, or shall otherwise permit ice or snow to accumulate on such sidewalk, he shall be guilty of a violation of this article and in addition, the city engineer may cause the same to be cleared and the expense of removal shall become a debt to the city from the occupant or owner of such premises, and shall be collected as any other debt to the city.
If the snow, sleet, and ice are not removed by 8:00 a.m. the following day after receiving the notice, the Director of Public Works is authorized to arrange for the necessary cleaning, clearing, and maintenance of the subject sidewalk remaining uncleared.
After the expiration of the time limit as aforesaid, if such snow and ice shall not have been removed, the Director of Public Works or his designee shall cause the same to be removed at the expense of such owner or occupier, such expense to be recovered from either the owner or occupier in an action brought in the name of the City.
If such person shall fail to remove the snow from such sidewalk, footway, awning or shade, the Director of Public Works, or designee, shall do so at the expense and charge of such owner or occupant, which expense and charge may be recovered with full costs in an action in the name and behalf of the city.
Whenever such sidewalk shall be permitted to remain covered with snow, ice or sleet for more than six hours after the same shall have been deposited or formed thereon, the director of public facilities may remove such snow, ice or sleet from sidewalk and report the expenses of such removal to the city attorney, who shall immediately collect the same by any proper action against the owner or occupant of the land or building, or the owner or lessee of any unoccupied land or building, adjoining such sidewalk.
In addition to the penalty for violation of this Code, if the owner or occupant fails to remove such snow or ice and the cost of such removal shall be charged against the property and shall be collected in the same manner as taxes.
if such person shall not within three (3) hours comply with such notice, the Police Department shall thereupon issue a citation and if convicted, such violator shall be fined as provided in Article 8, and further, in case of such neglect or refusal, the Police Department shall forthwith abate the same at the expense of the person chargeable therewith, to be collected before any court of competent jurisdiction
if the snow or ice is not removed within 12 hours of daylight after snowfall, then the snow and ice may be removed by and under the direction of the Director of the Department of Public Works. The expense of removal shall be charged against the Owner of the abutting property.
Upon the issuance of a violation by the police or public works department, the department of public works may, in its discretion, remove or cause such snow or ice to be removed or treated. The owner shall reimburse the city for the expenses incurred for such removal or treatment, in addition to any fine or administrative penalty imposed hereunder.
Should snow, ice, or accumulations be permitted to remain upon any sidewalk for a period of ten (10) daylight hours after the cessation of the storm or cause of accumulation, the city manager may, after affording reasonable notice cause the same to be removed and the actual cost of the removal assessed against the property as herein provided.
If the owner or occupant fails to clear the sidewalk of snow within the time allowed, the city may remove the snow and clear the sidewalk. The city may then seek reimbursement of the expense incurred from the owner or occupant.
He/she shall report the names of all delinquents, together with the particular sections of walks, sidewalks and wheelchair ramps which remain uncleared, to the director of public works or their designee, who shall cause such walks, sidewalks and wheelchair ramps to be cleared, and the cost thereof charged to and liened against the abutting property owner.
If any sidewalk shall remain encumbered with snow, ice or sleet for four hours after the owner or person having the charge or care of the lot or building bordering on such sidewalk and legally liable to clear the same has been notified by the director of public works or a policeman to remove the same, the director of public works shall cause the same to be cleared or sanded, as the case may be, and the city shall collect the expense thereof from such owner or other persons.
The city manager is hereby authorized and empowered to cause the removal of snow and ice constituting a nuisance and to keep a true account of the cost of such removal and to report the cost as to each lot, tract or piece of land to the board of commissioners, and the board of commissioners shall pass an ordinance assessing the cost of such removal to the abutting lot, tract or piece of land, and such assessment shall be certified by the city clerk to the county clerk to be collected and paid over to the city in the same manner as other special assessments or taxes are collected and paid over to the city.
If the property owner or occupant fails to comply with the notice of violation within twenty-four (24) hours after its posting, the code official may cause the snow and ice to be removed. The costs of removal will be charged to the property owner and will be liens upon the property to be collected in the same manner as municipal taxes are collected.
in the event the owner, owner's agent, or occupant refuses to comply with the terms of such notice, the city manager shall have such snow or ice removed and charge the cost of its removal to the property owner, owner's agent, or occupant.
After the expiration of the time limit as aforesaid for the removal of such snow, ice or sleet, it shall be the duty of the director of public works to cause the same to be removed, and the costs and expenses paid and incurred for the removal of snow, ice or sleet, as aforesaid, shall be certified by the director of public works to the comptroller or the board of assessment and revision of taxes
In the event that an owner, occupant or tenant fails to remove snow and ice in accordance with Section 12.16.010 , the city may accomplish such removal at the expense of the owner, occupant or tenant.
If snow or ice is not removed from the sidewalks or is cast or deposited there or placed on the sidewalks or the street by the owner, tenant or occupant of any premises, it shall be removed under the direction of the Superintendent of Roads, and the cost of the removal as nearly as can be ascertained shall be certified by the Superintendent of Roads to the Director of Finance.
in case said owner or owners, or occupants shall neglect to clean such snow and ice from such sidewalk within such time, the same may be done by and under the direction of the city manager and the city shall assess against the real property a charge equal to the cost actually incurred by or on behalf of the city for labor, equipment, materials, an administrative fee of $70.00, and any other costs necessary to effectuate the snow and ice removal.
If within a reasonable time, after the abatement of any storm during which snow or ice shall have accumulated on any sidewalk, the occupant or owner of the premises abutting thereon shall not have removed the snow and ice therefrom as is required by § 95.17, then the city may remove the snow and ice and the cost thereof shall be assessed against the lots and lands abutting the sidewalk thus cleaned.
The town may clear, or may cause to be cleared, snow and ice from any priority sidewalk at any time, and if the owner of any lot of land adjoining or including such priority sidewalk is at such time in violation of section 16-2 , the town may charge such owner for the cost of such clearing
If the City removes snow or ice which exists in violation of the provisions of subsections (1) or (2) above or arranges for its removal, such owner shall be responsible for the cost of removal of the snow or ice plus a ten (10%) percent charge for administration. A separate bill for each such removal shall be submitted to the record owner of the abutting property as soon as practicable after the charges are incurred.
The city's contractor then will be asked to remove the snow and/or ice, and the property owner or financial institution will be billed for all costs incurred.
In the event the owner, tenant, or occupant of every building or lot within the city, or owner, claimant, agent, or person having same in charge or control when the same is not tenanted or occupied, or the owner of any property which is occupied by multiple businesses or multiple dwelling units, shall fail to comply with the provisions of this section, the city may clean snow and/or ice from such sidewalk or apply sand or other proper substance when the same cannot be removed.
The town manager may, in cases where there are considered to be violations of sections 58-107 and/or 58-108 of this article, have the snow and/or ice removed immediately and charge the costs in connection with such removal to the owner or owners of the premises.
In the event any property owner fails to install or maintain the sidewalk and curb and gutter adjacent to his or her property within twenty (20) days after a notice is mailed to him in accordance with the preceding Section, the City Council may cause the work to be accomplished and charge the reasonable cost therefor against the owner of such property.
After the City clears such accumulation, the person responsible for snow removal under subsection (a) of this section shall pay to the City, all the costs incurred by the City as the result of such removal including, but not limited to, all costs incurred by the City as administrative costs.
If an owner, lessee, proprietor or occupant neglects or refuses to clear such snow and/or ice, the City may clear such snow and/or ice or authorize some person to do the same on behalf of the City.
The city may remove the snow or ice on private property when the owner fails to comply within the designated time period, and charge the cost to the owner.
In the event that an owner or occupant who has been issued a citation for failure to remove snow and/or ice as required in this article, the City may, after determining that the area needs immediate attention, remove or clean such snow and/or ice or cause it to be removed. The owner or occupant shall be responsible for all costs incurred for such removal.
If the abutting property owner fails to comply with this section, the City may at once proceed with whatever actions are required to remove or mitigate snow or ice from the public sidewalk. The City may then assess the cost and expense thereof against the abutting property owner.
Snow or ice accumulations which have remained on any sidewalk for more than twenty four (24) hours may be removed by the city. If the property owner fails to pay the costs of removal, after written billing, the city may assess the costs against the property in the same manner as a property tax, as provided by state law.
The duty runs with the building beside the walk rather than with the city, which is why these ordinances are addressed to an owner, a tenant or an occupant rather than to a department. A hundred and two of the cities with an ordinance also give themselves the power to do the work and put the cost on the property when it is not done. “Shoveling the Sidewalk on Laurel Street, Buffalo, New York - 20210127”, Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0
The first 40 of 105 cities that publish a penalty, ordered by the figure. Read September 23, 2026.
Whoever violates any of the provisions of this chapter, for which no specific penalty is otherwise provided, shall, upon conviction thereof, pay a fine of not more than $2,500.
a fine of up to $2,000.00 and/or imprisonment for up to 90 days and/or up to 90 days of community service, in the discretion of the Court, under the general penalty at Section 1-25
Notwithstanding any other section of this Code or any other ordinance, the maximum penalty for violating any provision of this Code shall be, in the discretion of the Court, a fine of up to two thousand dollars ($2,000.00) and/or imprisonment for a period of up to ninety (90) days and/or a period of community service not exceeding ninety (90) days
a fine not exceeding $2,000, and/or imprisonment not exceeding 90 days, and/or a period of community service not exceeding 90 days, with each day a separate offense
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:49-5, any person, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by imprisonment in the county jail or in any place provided by the municipality for the detention of prisoners for any term not exceeding 90 days; and/or a fine not exceeding $2,000; and/or a period of community service not exceeding 90 days
Except as provided in subsections 2 and 3, the fine or penalty for the violation of any ordinance, resolution, or regulation shall not exceed $1,500.00, and the imprisonment shall not exceed thirty days for one offense.
A person convicted of a violation of this Code that is an offense shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $1,500.00 and imprisonment not to exceed 30 days, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
Except as otherwise provided, each person convicted of a violation of this Code, whether such violation be "civil" or "criminal" in nature, shall be punished by a fine up to but not exceeding $1,000.00.
For violation of any provision of this Code, or any other ordinance of the Borough of Sayreville, unless a specific penalty is otherwise provided in connection with the provision violated, the maximum penalty upon conviction of the violation shall be one (1) or more of the following: a fine not exceeding one thousand ($1,000.00) dollars, or imprisonment in the County Jail for a period not exceeding ninety (90) days, or to a period of community service not exceeding ninety (90) days at the discretion of the Municipal Court Judge.
Any violation of an ordinance of the City of West Fargo shall be an infraction unless another penalty is specifically provided for the violation in these ordinances, or unless state law defines an offense in language similar to the ordinance as a class B misdemeanor, in which case the violation of the ordinance shall be penalized as a class B misdemeanor. An infraction may be punished by a maximum fine of $1,000.
punished by a fine of not exceeding $500.00, or by imprisonment not to exceed six months, or both such fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the court. Each day any such violation or failure to perform such act shall continue shall constitute a separate offense
a violation punishable by a fine not exceeding $500.00 or by imprisonment not exceeding 15 days or both, under the general penalty where no specific penalty is provided
shall constitute a "violation" under NYS Penal Law § 55.10(3)(a), and any amendments or superseding laws thereto, and, except where otherwise authorized by this section, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $500.00 or by imprisonment not exceeding 15 days or both.
the violation of any such provision of this Code or any other ordinance or resolution of the town or such rule, regulation or order shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500.00).
Any person who violates this article shall pay a fine as set forth herein for each offense, plus all direct and indirect costs incurred by the city for the clean-up and abatement of the violation.
the violation of any such provision of this Code or any such ordinance shall be punishable by a fine of up to two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) and as may be amended by state law. Each day's violation of any provision of this Code or of any ordinance shall constitute a separate offense.
Civil penalties for municipal infractions of certain sections of this code as noted therein shall be punishable as provided in the following schedule for each day a violation exists or continues: First offense $250.00 Second offense 500.00 Third offense 750.00
$250.00 first offence, $500.00 second offence in the same winter season, $1,000.00 any subsequent offence in the same season for commercial property; $75.00 first offence, $125.00 second offence in the same winter season, $250.00 any subsequent offence in the same season for residential property
In addition to any cost of removal charged under subsection (3) above, penalties shall accrue for violations of subsections (1) and (2). The penalty for a first offense shall be seventy-five dollars ($75.00). The penalty for a second offense in the same winter season shall be one hundred and twenty-five dollars ($125.00). The penalty for any subsequent offense in the same winter season shall be two hundred and fifty dollars ($250.00).
a fine equal to twice the removal costs, minimum $200.00, for a first offence; a fine equal to three times the removal costs, minimum $400.00, for a second or subsequent violation within two years
Violators of any provisions of this chapter shall for the first offense receive a fine equal to twice the removal costs for the snow and/or ice. The minimum fine is $200.00, plus accrued interest, attorney's fees and court costs. A second violation or any subsequent violations occurring within two years of a previous violation shall result in a fine equal to three times the removal costs for the removal of snow and/or ice. The minimum fine is $400.00, plus accrued interest, attorney's fees and court costs.
If City staff does remove the snow and ice, the property owner can be billed at a rate of $175 per hour and assessed an accrued interest rate of six percent per year if the fee goes unpaid.
Enforcement: Inspectors leave a time-stamped notice at properties with un-shoveled sidewalks. After receiving a notice, businesses have four hours and residences have 24 hours before an inspector's re-check and a potential $150 fine.
written warning for the first such offense within any rolling 365-day period; to a fine of $150, plus costs, for the second ...; and, to a fine not to exceed $500, plus costs, for the third and each subsequent ...
one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) per occurrence for up to 100 linear feet, and two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) per occurrence for 100 linear feet or more, added to the water bill
If the property owner fails to remove snow and ice within the time stated herein, the City may remove the snow and ice at a cost of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) per occurrence for up to 100 linear feet, and two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) per occurrence for 100 linear feet or more.
If a property owner fails to comply with subsections (a) and (b), above, within twenty-four (24) hours after receiving notice to remove the snow, sleet or ice from an appropriate city official, said owner shall be punished by a one hundred dollar ($100.00) fine, or an amount up to the maximum allowed under state statute.
Unless otherwise indicated in the Code of the City of Milford or unless otherwise provided by the Delaware Code, violation of any chapter, article or ordinance of the City of Milford shall be punishable by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500.
If the property owner or occupant fails to comply with the notice of violation within twenty-four (24) hours after its posting, the code official may issue a citation for a municipal infraction. The penalty for violation is a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100.00).
The violation of this section is a municipal civil infraction which shall result in the assessment of a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) or more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) per violation, plus costs and other sanctions for each infraction.
Except where otherwise provided, any person, firm, or corporation violating any of the provisions of this title shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined in any sum not to exceed $100.00. Each day that a violation of this title continues shall constitute a separate and distinct offense and shall be punishable as such.
not less than $100.00 nor more than $2,000.00, and/or up to 90 days imprisonment, and/or up to 90 days of community service, under the general penalty at Section 1.12.010
Except as otherwise provided, the violation of any provision of the Code of the city shall be punishable by imprisonment in the county jail or in any place provided by the city for the detention of prisoners, for any term not exceeding ninety (90) days; or by a fine not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) nor more than two thousand dollars ($2,000.00); or by a period of community service not exceeding ninety (90) days; or by any combination of fine, imprisonment and community service.
Unless otherwise noted on the summons or unless ordered by the court, no court appearance is required for anyone wishing to plead guilty to a summons issued for violation of this chapter. Such defendants may pay the fine of one hundred dollars ($100.00) and fifteen dollars ($15.00) court costs by mail provided the same is sent so as to be received by the court prior to the date fixed on the summons or assigned by the court.
Any person found guilty of violating this article by a court of competent jurisdiction shall be subject to a fine not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100.00); or to a penalty not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100.00) per violation to be recovered by the corporation counsel in a civil action
Any person in violation of this section shall be deemed guilty of a minor misdemeanor and fined not more than $100.00. Each day that a person continues to violate this section shall constitute a separate and complete offense.
Unless otherwise provided for in this chapter, any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of an offense and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not more than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00), excluding costs, fees and assessments. Each day such violation is committed or permitted to continue shall constitute a separate offense.
a warning for the first offense, $100.00 for the second offense, $175.00 for the third offense, and no less than $250.00 for the fourth and each subsequent offense
Violation of section 70-102 by a person shall result in a warning for the first offense and shall be punishable by a fine of $100.00 for the second offense, and by a fine of $175.00 for the third offense.
A person or entity who is issued a citation shall be subject to a fine of ninety-nine dollars ($99.00). Each day such violation shall continue shall constitute a separate offense.
Any person violating the terms of this section shall be fined seventy-five dollars ($75.00) for each offense except whenever a sidewalk also has a sidewalk ramp, and both are uncleared or unsanded, the abutting property owner shall be fined only for one (1) offense.
A deadline says when. It does not say how much. 57 of the 187 cities with an ordinance publish a width along with the duty, and the widths they publish are not the same width. The rest name none, which leaves the walk in the condition the ordinance calls cleared without saying how much of it that is.
Where a city prints a width it is quoted on that city’s state page in the city’s own wording, beside the deadline it belongs to. Ice is handled separately again: some ordinances treat it as the same duty, some as a different one, and some ask for sand or grit rather than for removal. Those sentences are quoted too, and they are the city’s.
Fifty seven of the cities read here publish a width along with the duty, and the figures they publish are not the same figure. The rest name none, which leaves the walk in the state the ordinance calls cleared without saying how much of it. Where a city does print a width it is quoted on its state page in the city’s own wording. “Shoveled sidewalk after February 2013 nor’easter, Walden, NY”, Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 3.0
Where no city rule was found
10 states where nothing requires it
In 10 states no city read here publishes a sidewalk clearing ordinance at all. That is a finding rather than a gap, and mostly a climate one: a city that sees measurable snow once a decade has no reason to write a clock into its code, and several of these publish a cold weather page about pipes and plants instead.
What those cities do publish is in the third column, read on the same day as everything else on this site.
10 states where no city read publishes a clearing ordinance, read September 23, 2026.
No New Hampshire city read here sets an hour deadline for an abutting owner to shovel; the ordinances found regulate where snow may be put rather than when a walk must be cleared, and the cities plow their own priority sidewalks.
No city in Louisiana publishes a sidewalk snow or ice clearing deadline and the state sets none either, which is the honest answer for a state where a hard freeze is an emergency rather than a season.
No North Carolina city read here publishes a sidewalk clearing deadline, and the snow pages of the four largest read instead describe which roads crews plow first.
Alabama has no state sidewalk rule and no city read here publishes one, not even Huntsville, whose winter weather pages are advisories about roads and never mention a walk.
No Florida city publishes anything at all about clearing snow or ice from a sidewalk, and the sidewalk pages that do exist are about repair and drainage.
Nothing a Georgia city publishes about winter weather puts a sidewalk on the property owner, and what the state's cities do publish is preparedness advice and transit detours rather than a snow removal duty.
Nothing on any Mississippi city site read here mentions clearing snow or ice from a sidewalk, and the public works pages that describe street upkeep stop at pavement and drainage.
No Nevada city read here publishes a shovelling deadline, and the snow pages in Reno, Sparks and Elko are about plowing roads rather than about what an owner owes the sidewalk.
No South Carolina city read here publishes a sidewalk clearing rule, and the snow content on the sites that have any at all sits inside emergency preparedness rather than in a duty on the property owner.
Hawaii has no snow removal rule anywhere: Maui County's sidewalk chapter asks an abutting owner to keep the walk clean and passable and says nothing about snow, and the word snow appears in that county's code only in a building load table.
Nothing at state level
Every state
All 50, and what each one leaves to its cities
Ordered by how tight the tightest city in the state is, which is a different ranking from how much snow a state gets. The state column is what the legislature did, and in 37 states the answer is nothing at all.
Fifty states and 267 cities, read September 23, 2026.
It depends entirely on the city, and the range is enormous: across the 150 cities here that count in hours the answer runs from no hours at all to three days. 74 of them land on exactly a day, 57 give twelve hours or less, and 18 give more than a day. A further 22 cities set a time of day or a depth of snow instead, so there is no hour count to give at all.
Almost nowhere, and the near misses are the interesting part. 13 of 50 legislatures have a statute here with a section number and a sentence that was read, and not one of the 13 sets a deadline. 10 of them do nothing but hand the question down: they say a city or town may pass a rule of its own, and stop. Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia. Of the other 3, Iowa puts the duty on the abutting owner and calls the time "a reasonable amount of time", Wisconsin tells the board of public works to clear the walk itself and charge the property, and New Mexico's is a cross reference its cities point at. The remaining 37 states have nothing, which is why answering this question at state level answers nothing.
Two different things, and the second is the commoner one. 105 of the 187 cities with an ordinance print a penalty, 85 of them as a dollar figure. But 102 of them, 55 percent, publish a rule letting the city send a crew and charge the cost to the property, often as a lien or a special assessment rather than a fine. Both are set out city by city below with the sentence each was read from.
St. Louis, Santa Fe, Sheridan allow no hours at all. Behind them sit the cities on a few hours from the end of the snowfall, and the whole ordered list is below. The strictness is not regional in the way a reader expects: the tightest deadlines are as often in a mid Atlantic city as in a northern one, because the rule is written by a council rather than by the weather.
Because each council wrote its own. 23 states carry a gap between their own cities, and the widest is Maine: four hours in Waterville against three days in Lewiston. That is the single most useful fact about this subject and no state's own website carries it, because no state has one to carry.
The ordinances differ and they say so in their own words, which is why each city's wording is printed beside it below rather than summarised. Some write the duty at the owner, some at the owner or occupant, some at whoever has care and control of the building. Which of those reaches a given household turns on the lease and on the property, and the city named on each line is the one that reads its own ordinance.
267 across all 50 states, of which 187 publish a clearing rule. The rest are recorded too: in 10 states not one city read published a clearing deadline, and what those cities publish instead is a rule about where snow may be put once it has been moved. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina.
Every line was read on September 23, 2026, off a city's own page or the municipal code that city hosts, and links back to it. Councils amend these between winters and a good many cities publish the deadline on a seasonal page that is rewritten each autumn, so the link beside a line is what governs on the day.
267 municipal codes, city public works pages and state statutes read September 23, 2026. Every deadline, width, penalty, duty and reporting page above links to the document it was published in, and is reproduced in that document’s own wording. An hour count on this site is a sorting key derived from a city’s sentence and never a replacement for it. Ordinances are amended by councils on their own schedule, so the section linked beside a line is what governs on the day. What a particular property owes, and to whom, is a question for the city that published the ordinance.
