Every deadline, width and penalty here was read on September 23, 2026, off the city's own page or the municipal code that city hosts, and each one is quoted and linked beside the line it supports. Cities amend these ordinances between winters and several publish the deadline on a seasonal page that changes in autumn, so the link beside a line is what governs on the day.

Colorado Sidewalk Snow Removal: 24 Hours in Every City

Q: How wide does a cleared path have to be in Colorado?

One Colorado city sets a width, and Boulder sets 5' minimum. 57 cities nationally publish one; the rest describe the walk rather than measure it, and the city named on each line is the one that reads the result.

Q: Does snow have to be cleared from the sidewalk or the street in Colorado?

The rules collected here are sidewalk rules, and the great majority of Colorado cities publish a second one about where the snow may go once it has been moved, most often forbidding it on the travelled part of the road. Both come off the same city pages linked below, and the Colorado cities that publish only the second are listed as such rather than folded in with the rest.

Q: Which cities in the country give you the least time?

St. Louis, Santa Fe, Sheridan, where the ordinance allows no hours at all. Above them, 57 of the 150 cities that count in hours give twelve hours or less, 74 give exactly a day, and 18 give more than a day. The widest gap inside a single state is Maine, from four hours to three days.

Nothing

What state law sets

37 states are in the same position

24h

What its cities allow

in every city that counts in hours

6 of 6

Cities with an ordinance

2 clear it themselves and bill

September 23, 2026

Read

2 publish a penalty

The short answer

Aurora gives a day, and Colorado sets nothing above it

Colorado has no sidewalk clearing statute at all. The clock is a city's instead, and five Colorado cities count in hours. Nationally the deadlines run from no hours at all to three days across 150 cities, and no state legislature anywhere has put a number on it.

Every Colorado city below publishes somewhere to report a walk that has not been cleared, linked on its own line. The city that publishes the rule is the city that answers questions about it.

Nothing at state level6 of 6 cities with an ordinance5 counting in hours2 clear it themselves

City by city, in each city’s own words

The 6 Colorado cities that publish an ordinance

Five Colorado cities publish a count of hours, and each one below is quoted from the ordinance or the city page it was read from. A day is the commonest figure in Colorado as it is nationally: 74 of the 150 cities that count in hours land on exactly that.

Each card below carries what that city published and nothing else: the deadline in its own sentence, the sentence it was read from, and the width, the penalty and the wording about ice where the city printed them. The chip is a band derived from the wording for sorting, not a restatement of it.

Aurora
13h to 24h
within 24 hours after a snowfall ends, and 48 hours after a snow emergency (emergency declaration) is declared by the city
Snow and ice must be removed within 24 hours after a snowfall ends, and 48 hours after a snow emergency (emergency declaration) is declared by the city.
Whose duty it is, as the ordinance puts it
the property owner
- Penalty An administrative fee of $25 for single-family homes and $50 for all others
- If it is not done the city may clear it and charge the property
- Published by City of Aurora Neighborhood Support Division
Snow Removal Responsibilities, City of Aurora, read September 23, 2026 Where the city takes reports
Boulder
13h to 24h
no later than 24 hours after snow stops falling
City of Boulder property owners, landlords and tenants are required to remove snow and ice from sidewalks and roadside paths adjacent to residential and commercial properties (5' minimum) no later than 24 hours after snow stops falling, per Boulder Revised Code, Section 8-2-13.
Whose duty it is, as the ordinance puts it
property owners, landlords and tenants
- Width 5' minimum
- If it is not done the city may clear it and charge the property
- Section Boulder Revised Code, Section 8-2-13
- Published by City of Boulder Transportation & Mobility Department
Snow and Ice Response, City of Boulder, read September 23, 2026 Where the city takes reports
Colorado Springs
13h to 24h
Clear sidewalks 24 hours after the end of a snowstorm
Residents: Clear sidewalks 24 hours after the end of a snowstorm Businesses: Clear sidewalks by 5 p.m. the day after snow stops falling
Whose duty it is, as the ordinance puts it
the property owner and occupant
- Published by City of Colorado Springs Neighborhood Services
Snow Shoveling, City of Colorado Springs, read September 23, 2026 Where the city takes reports
Fort Collins
13h to 24h
within 24 hours after a snowfall
As a property owner or resident, you're required to clear snow and ice from sidewalks adjacent to your property within 24 hours after a snowfall.
Whose duty it is, as the ordinance puts it
a property owner or resident
- Published by City of Fort Collins Neighborhood Services
Snow Removal, City of Fort Collins, read September 23, 2026 Where the city takes reports
Grand Junction
13h to 24h
within 24 hours after a snowfall
Grand Junction Municipal Code Section 12.16.090 requires that sidewalks adjoining your home and/or business must be cleared of snow, ice and debris within 24 hours after a snowfall.
Whose duty it is, as the ordinance puts it
your home and/or business
- Section Grand Junction Municipal Code Section 12.16.090
- Published by Grand Junction Police Department Code Enforcement
Sidewalks with Snow/Debris, City of Grand Junction, read September 23, 2026 Where the city takes reports
Denver
By the clock
businesses need to begin clearing their sidewalks immediately. Residences need to clear their sidewalks by the next day
After snow has stopped falling, businesses need to begin clearing their sidewalks immediately. Residences need to clear their sidewalks by the next day.
Whose duty it is, as the ordinance puts it
property owners or tenants
- Penalty a potential $150 fine
- Published by Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure
Snow & Ice Build-Up Fact Sheet, City and County of Denver, read September 23, 2026 Where the city takes reports

What Colorado itself did

Colorado has written nothing on this

Nothing in the Colorado statutes was found setting a sidewalk clearing deadline, which leaves the question to the cities below.

That is the national pattern rather than a Colorado quirk. 13 of the 50 legislatures have a statute that touches sidewalk snow at all, 10 of those do nothing but let a city decide, and not one of them sets a deadline. The clock is a municipal ordinance everywhere in the country.

Nothing at state level

No Colorado statute was found on this

has no sidewalk clearing statute at all

What happens if it is not done

A bill or a penalty, depending on the Colorado city

Two Colorado cities publish a rule letting the city clear the walk and put the cost on the property. That is the commoner enforcement route nationally: 102 of the 187 cities with an ordinance carry one, against 105 that publish a penalty.

Two Colorado cities print a penalty beside the rule, each as a dollar figure. Each is reproduced below in the words its own ordinance used.

Both routes are printed on the cards above in the sentence each was read from, because a penalty clause paraphrased is a different statement than the one the city made. Where a city publishes a page for reporting a walk that has not been cleared, that link is on its card too.

How Colorado compares

The same question in the other forty nine

150 cities nationally count in hours, and the counts run from no hours at all to 72. 74 land on exactly a day, 57 give twelve hours or less, and 18 give more than a day. A further 22 set a time of day or a depth of snow rather than a count of hours at all.

The bar splits those 150 cities by how long they allow, and the table beneath it orders the states by how tight their tightest city is, which is a different ranking from how much snow a state gets.

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

Fifty states and 267 cities, read September 23, 2026.
State	What the legislature did	What its cities do	With an ordinance	Tightest city
Missouri	Nothing at state level	Cities count in hours	7 of 7	ImmediatelySt. Louis
Wyoming	Nothing at state level	Cities count in hours	3 of 3	ImmediatelySheridan
New Mexico	A cross reference	Cities count in hours	1 of 4	ImmediatelySanta Fe
Michigan	Nothing found	Cities count in hours	7 of 7	2hMarquette
Maryland	Nothing found	Cities count in hours	8 of 8	3hAnnapolis
Massachusetts	A city may	Cities count in hours	8 of 8	3hBoston
Pennsylvania	Nothing found	Cities count in hours	7 of 7	3hErie
Virginia	A city may	Cities count in hours	6 of 7	3hRoanoke
Connecticut	A city may	Cities count in hours	8 of 8	4hDanbury
Ohio	A city may	Cities count in hours	8 of 8	4hAthens
New York	Nothing found	Cities count in hours	7 of 7	4hNew York City
Maine	A city may	Cities count in hours	4 of 8	4hWaterville
Vermont	A city may	Cities count in hours	1 of 6	4hWinooski
Rhode Island	A city may	Cities count in hours	6 of 6	5hNewport
Indiana	Nothing at state level	Cities count in hours	6 of 6	6hWest Lafayette
Nebraska	Nothing at state level	Cities count in hours	7 of 7	8hFremont
New Jersey	Nothing found	Cities count in hours	6 of 6	8hJersey City
Utah	Nothing at state level	Cities count in hours	5 of 5	8hPark City
Iowa	Owner duty, no clock	Cities count in hours	7 of 7	10hAmes
Kansas	Nothing at state level	Cities count in hours	6 of 6	12hSalina
Delaware	Nothing found	Cities count in hours	5 of 5	12hMilford
Washington	Nothing at state level	Cities count in hours	3 of 4	12hSeattle
California	Nothing at state level	Cities count in hours	1 of 2	12hSouth Lake Tahoe
North Dakota	Nothing at state level	Cities count in hours	7 of 7	24hBismarck
Wisconsin	The city clears it	Cities count in hours	7 of 7	24hGreen Bay
Colorado	Nothing at state level	Cities count in hours	6 of 6	24hAurora
Illinois	Nothing at state level	Cities count in hours	6 of 6	24hChampaign
Minnesota	A city may	Cities count in hours	6 of 6	24hDuluth
Montana	Nothing at state level	Cities count in hours	5 of 5	24hBillings
South Dakota	A city may	Cities count in hours	5 of 5	24hWatertown
Oklahoma	Nothing at state level	Cities count in hours	3 of 7	24hTulsa
West Virginia	Nothing at state level	Cities count in hours	3 of 4	24hMorgantown
Alaska	Nothing at state level	Cities count in hours	2 of 3	24hSeward
Idaho	Nothing at state level	Cities count in hours	2 of 3	24hIdaho Falls
Texas	Nothing at state level	Cities count in hours	2 of 7	24hAmarillo
Arizona	Nothing at state level	Cities count in hours	1 of 5	24hFlagstaff
Oregon	Nothing at state level	Required, no time named	2 of 3	None published
Arkansas	Nothing at state level	Set by the clock or a depth	1 of 7	None published
Kentucky	Nothing at state level	Set by the clock or a depth	1 of 3	None published
Tennessee	Nothing at state level	Required, no time named	1 of 4	None published
Alabama	Nothing at state level	No city rule found	0 of 3	None published
Florida	Nothing at state level	No city rule found	0 of 3	None published
Georgia	Nothing at state level	No city rule found	0 of 3	None published
Hawaii	Nothing at state level	No city rule found	0 of 2	None published
Louisiana	Nothing at state level	No city rule found	0 of 6	None published
Mississippi	Nothing at state level	No city rule found	0 of 3	None published
Nevada	Nothing at state level	No city rule found	0 of 3	None published
New Hampshire	A city may	No city rule found	0 of 7	None published
North Carolina	Nothing at state level	No city rule found	0 of 4	None published
South Carolina	Nothing at state level	No city rule found	0 of 3	None published

Colorado sidewalk snow removal questions

How long do you have to shovel your sidewalk in Colorado?

Colorado has no sidewalk clearing statute at all. The clock is a city's instead, and five Colorado cities count in hours. Nationally the deadlines run from no hours at all to three days across 150 cities, and no state legislature anywhere has put a number on it. Five Colorado cities publish a count of hours, and each one below is quoted from the ordinance or the city page it was read from. A day is the commonest figure in Colorado as it is nationally: 74 of the 150 cities that count in hours land on exactly that.

Does Colorado have a state law about clearing sidewalks?

Will the city clear my sidewalk in Colorado?

Two Colorado cities publish a rule letting the city clear the walk and put the cost on the property. That is the commoner enforcement route nationally: 102 of the 187 cities with an ordinance carry one, against 105 that publish a penalty. Aurora sets it out this way: “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.”

What is the fine for not shovelling a sidewalk in Colorado?

Two Colorado cities print a penalty beside the rule, each as a dollar figure. Each is reproduced below in the words its own ordinance used. Aurora prints An administrative fee of $25 for single-family homes and $50 for all others: “An administrative fee of $25 for single-family homes and $50 for all others will be imposed after 24 hours and again after 48 hours if snow and ice are not removed.”

How wide does a cleared path have to be in Colorado?

Does snow have to be cleared from the sidewalk or the street in Colorado?

Which cities in the country give you the least time?

How current is this?

Sidewalk snow removal rules in every state

Colorado ice damsWhat builds at the eaves while the walk is being cleared, and the conditions that put it there.Colorado ground snow loadThe other winter number a city sets and the state usually does not, and who publishes it where.Colorado snowpackWhat is actually on the ground this winter, measured daily, against the years behind it.Colorado frozen pipesThe other thing a long cold spell does to a building, and the temperatures it starts at.

Colorado read September 23, 2026: the municipal code and the city published pages of the 6 cities above. Every deadline, width, penalty and duty 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. Councils amend ordinances 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.