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.

Illinois Sidewalk Snow Removal: 24 Hours in Every City

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

Four Illinois cities set a width, and Champaign sets the full width of the sidewalk, or at least forty-eight (48) inches, whichever is less. 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 Illinois?

The rules collected here are sidewalk rules, and the great majority of Illinois 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 Illinois 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

3 clear it themselves and bill

September 23, 2026

Read

5 publish a penalty

The short answer

Champaign gives a day, and Illinois sets nothing above it

Illinois has no sidewalk clearing statute at all. The clock is a city's instead, and three Illinois 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.

The city named on each line below is the one that publishes the rule and the one that answers questions about it. 53 cities nationally also publish a page for reporting a walk that has not been cleared.

Nothing at state level6 of 6 cities with an ordinance3 counting in hours3 clear it themselves

City by city, in each city’s own words

The 6 Illinois cities that publish an ordinance

Three Illinois 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 Illinois 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.

Champaign
13h to 24h
within twenty-four (24) hours after the public announcement of the Director of Public Works
Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, snow, ice, sleet, or freezing rain shall be removed as provided in subsections (a) and (b) of this section within twenty-four (24) hours after the public announcement of the Director of Public Works set forth in section (f).
Whose duty it is, as the ordinance puts it
every owner of a lot in the University District or Downtown District which lot contains, abuts or fronts on a paved public sidewalk
What it says about ice
In the event snow, ice, sleet or freezing rain on a sidewalk has become so hard that it cannot be reasonably removed without damage to the sidewalk, or is otherwise largely impractical to remove, the person responsible for said removal shall cause enough sand or other abrasive material to be put on the sidewalk to make travel thereon reasonably safe
- Width the full width of the sidewalk, or at least forty-eight (48) inches, whichever is less
- Penalty no fine
- If it is not done the city may clear it and charge the property
- Section Sec. 9-5. Removing snow from sidewalks and other areas
- Published by City of Champaign
Municipal Code, City of Champaign, read September 23, 2026
Evanston
13h to 24h
within twenty-four (24) hours of the cessation of any snowfall, ice formation event, or winter weather event resulting in an accumulation
The path shall be created and cleared within twenty-four (24) hours of the cessation of any snowfall, ice formation event, or winter weather event resulting in an accumulation and the path shall be maintained and clear of snow and ice.
Whose duty it is, as the ordinance puts it
every owner, lessee, tenant, occupant or other person in charge of any building or lot of ground in the city abutting upon any public way or public place
What it says about ice
If the snow and ice is hardened and congealed such that removal is unduly burdensome or may damage the sidewalk, the sidewalk shall have sand, salt or similar deicing material spread upon its surface.
- Width a path at least thirty-six (36) inches wide
- Penalty $50.00 for a first violation, $200.00 for a second, $450.00 for a third and any subsequent
- If it is not done the city may clear it and charge the property
- Section Sec. 7-2-9-3. Sidewalks to be clear of snow, ice, dirt and weeds
- Published by City of Evanston
Code of Ordinances, City of Evanston, read September 23, 2026
Peoria
13h to 24h
within 24 hours after the snow stops falling when accumulations are less than six inches, and within 36 hours after six or more inches
All commercial property owners must remove snow within 24 hours after the snow stops falling, when accumulations are less than six inches, and within 36 hours after six or more inches of snow accumulates as measured by the National Weather Service. If another snow event occurs, the clock will be reset to the end of the most recent snowfall.
Whose duty it is, as the ordinance puts it
all commercial property owners
- Width a minimum of four feet wide
- Penalty $50.00 for sidewalks less than 200 linear feet in length, or $100.00 for sidewalks longer than 200 feet
- If it is not done the city may clear it and charge the property
- Section Sec. 26-251. Sidewalk snow removal policy
- Published by City of Peoria
Code of Ordinances, City of Peoria, read September 23, 2026
Chicago
By the clock
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 day
Snow which falls or accumulates between the hours of seven a.m. and seven p.m. shall be removed as soon as practicable, but no later than ten p.m. of the same day. Snow which falls or accumulates overnight between the hours of seven p.m. and seven a.m. shall be removed as soon as practicable, but no later than ten a.m. of the same day.
Whose duty it is, as the ordinance puts it
every owner, lessee, tenant, occupant or other person in charge of any building or lot of ground
What it says about ice
If snow on the sidewalk is frozen so hard that it cannot be removed without damage to the pavement, the person in charge of any building or lot of ground shall, within the time specified for removing the snow, strew, or cause to be strewn, the sidewalk abutting the building or lot of ground with sand, abrasive material or other products made for the purpose of mitigating slipping hazards and preventing the accumulation of ice, and shall, as soon thereafter as the weather shall permit, thoroughly clean the sidewalk.
- Width a clear path of at least 5 feet in width
- Penalty not less than $50.00 nor more than $500.00 for each offense
- Section 10-8-180 Snow and ice removal
- Published by City of Chicago
Municipal Code of Chicago, City of Chicago, read September 23, 2026
Rockford
By the clock
not later than 12:00 noon of the day after the same has ceased to fall or accumulate
The owner or occupier of each lot or part of lot, improved or unimproved, to which the general public is invited, shall remove all snow and ice which may have fallen or accumulated upon the sidewalk in front of the premises which he or she owns or occupies not later than 12:00 noon of the day after the same has ceased to fall or accumulate.
Whose duty it is, as the ordinance puts it
the owner or occupier of each lot or part of lot, improved or unimproved, to which the general public is invited
What it says about ice
Provided that when ice has so formed upon any sidewalk that it cannot be removed, then the owner or occupier shall keep the same effectively sprinkled with sand, salt or other suitable substance in such manner as to prevent the ice from being dangerous, until such time as it can be removed, and then it shall be promptly removed.
- Section Sec. 26-10. Ice and snow removal
- Published by City of Rockford
Code of Ordinances, City of Rockford, read September 23, 2026
Springfield
By the clock
by 10:00 a.m. on every morning after a fall of snow
Every owner or occupant of any premises, and every person having the charge or control thereof shall, during the winter season, whenever there is a fall of snow, and by 10:00 a.m. on every morning thereafter, clear the sidewalks in front of or adjoining such premises, from snow and ice, and keep the same conveniently free therefrom, or shall, in case the snow and ice are so congealed as not to be removed without difficulty or injury to the pavement, strew the same with ashes, sand, or sawdust.
Whose duty it is, as the ordinance puts it
every owner or occupant of any premises, and every person having the charge or control thereof
What it says about ice
in case the snow and ice are so congealed as not to be removed without difficulty or injury to the pavement, strew the same with ashes, sand, or sawdust
- Penalty not less than $25 nor more than $500
- Section Sec. 99.03. Sidewalks to be kept free from snow, etc.; Sec. 10.99. General penalty
- Published by City of Springfield
Code of Ordinances, City of Springfield, read September 23, 2026

What Illinois itself did

Illinois has written nothing on this

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

That is the national pattern rather than a Illinois 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 Illinois 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 Illinois city

Three Illinois 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.

Five Illinois cities print a penalty beside the rule, four of them as a dollar figure and the rest as the class of offence the ordinance creates. 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 Illinois 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

Illinois sidewalk snow removal questions

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

Illinois has no sidewalk clearing statute at all. The clock is a city's instead, and three Illinois 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. Three Illinois 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 Illinois as it is nationally: 74 of the 150 cities that count in hours land on exactly that.

Does Illinois have a state law about clearing sidewalks?

Will the city clear my sidewalk in Illinois?

Three Illinois 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. Champaign sets it out this way: “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.”

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

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

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

Which cities in the country give you the least time?

How current is this?

Sidewalk snow removal rules in every state

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

Illinois 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.