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.

Iowa Sidewalk Snow Removal: 10 to 48 Hours

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

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

A rule, not a clock

What state law sets

Iowa Code 364.12(2)(b)

10 to 48h

The range across its cities

[object Object] is the tightest

7 of 7

Cities with an ordinance

6 clear it themselves and bill

September 23, 2026

Read

3 publish a penalty

The short answer

Iowa runs from ten hours in Ames to two days in Waterloo

Iowa puts the duty on the abutting owner in statute and attaches no hour count to it. The clock is a city's instead, and seven Iowa cities count in hours. The tightest is Ames at ten hours and the loosest Waterloo at two days, a gap of 38 hours inside one state. 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.

Two of the Iowa cities below publish 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.

Owner duty, no clock7 of 7 cities with an ordinance7 counting in hours6 clear it themselves

City by city, in each city’s own words

The 7 Iowa cities that publish an ordinance

Seven Iowa cities publish a count of hours, and each one below is quoted from the ordinance or the city page it was read from. The middle of the Iowa figures is two days, against a day nationally.

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.

Ames
7h to 12h
ten (10) daylight hours after the cessation of the storm
No owner shall, for a period of ten (10) daylight hours after the cessation of the storm or cause of accumulation, permit snow, ice, or accumulations to remain upon the adjoining and abutting sidewalks.
Whose duty it is, as the ordinance puts it
the abutting property owner
- If it is not done the city may clear it and charge the property
- Section Sec. 22.2
- Published by City of Ames
Sec. 22.2 Snow, Ice and Accumulations, Ames Municipal Code, read September 23, 2026
Cedar Rapids
13h to 24h
within a reasonable time, but in no case later than 24 hours, after snow has fallen or ice has formed
The abutting property owner shall remove snow and ice from the public sidewalk within a reasonable time, but in no case later than 24 hours, after snow has fallen or ice has formed.
Whose duty it is, as the ordinance puts it
The abutting property owner
What it says about ice
Traction materials are required where snow or ice cannot reasonably be removed.
- If it is not done the city may clear it and charge the property
- Section Chapter 9, 9.11
- Published by City of Cedar Rapids
9.11 Clearing Snow and Ice from Sidewalks, Cedar Rapids Municipal Code, read September 23, 2026
Iowa City
13h to 24h
not more than twenty four (24) hours
No owner, tenant, responsible party or person in possession or control of property shall allow snow or ice accumulations to remain upon abutting sidewalks for more than twenty four (24) hours.
Whose duty it is, as the ordinance puts it
No owner, tenant, responsible party or person in possession or control of property
- Penalty $250.00 first offense, $500.00 second, $750.00 third, for each day a violation exists or continues
- If it is not done the city may clear it and charge the property
- Section 16-1A-8
- Published by City of Iowa City
16-1A-8: Snow and Ice Removal, Iowa City Code of Ordinances, read September 23, 2026
Cedar Falls
Over 24h
within 48 hours of the end of a weather event
The abutting property owner is responsible for the removal of accumulations of snow and ice for the full width of all sidewalks abutting the property owner's property within 48 hours of the end of a weather event.
Whose duty it is, as the ordinance puts it
The abutting property owner
- Width the full width of all sidewalks abutting the property
- If it is not done the city may clear it and charge the property
- Section Sec. 19-185
- Published by Cedar Falls Community Development Department
Sec. 19-185 Removal of snow and ice, Cedar Falls Code of Ordinances, read September 23, 2026
Des Moines
Over 24h
within a reasonable time but in no case more than 48 hours following the cessation of the weather event
The owner or tenant or lessee of any real estate abutting a public sidewalk shall remove snow and ice from the sidewalk within a reasonable time but in no case more than 48 hours following the cessation of the weather event by which such snow or ice was deposited; provided, however, that in extraordinary weather circumstances the director of public works or his or her designated representative may provide additional time for removal under this section.
Whose duty it is, as the ordinance puts it
The owner or tenant or lessee of any real estate abutting a public sidewalk
What it says about ice
Sand, salt or other abrasive is required where ice cannot be removed within the same 48 hours.
- Penalty $75 administrative penalty for a first offense, larger for repeat violations over three years
- If it is not done the city may clear it and charge the property
- Section Sec. 102-124
- Published by Des Moines Public Works
Sidewalk Snow Removal, City of Des Moines, read September 23, 2026 Where the city takes reports
Dubuque
Over 24h
no longer than 48 hours after the snow event
Snow and ice should be removed immediately after the snowfall ends and no longer than 48 hours after the snow event.
Whose duty it is, as the ordinance puts it
The property owner
- Width the entire width of the sidewalk from edge to edge
- Penalty civil citations with penalties up to $750 plus court costs
- If it is not done the city may clear it and charge the property
- Section Title 10-1-3-C
- Published by City of Dubuque
Sidewalk Snow Removal, City of Dubuque, read September 23, 2026 Where the city takes reports
Waterloo
Over 24h
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
It shall be the responsibility of the abutting property owner(s) to remove accumulations of two inches (2") or more of snow and ice from sidewalks as follows: a. Within twenty-four (24) hours in a three (3) block radius of schools and hospitals. b. Within forty-eight (48) hours in all other areas of the city except for the Downtown Business District.
Whose duty it is, as the ordinance puts it
the abutting property owner(s)
What it says about ice
In the event that snow or ice cannot be reasonably removed, the owner shall put on the sidewalk, sand or other abrasive material in such an amount and manner to make foot traffic reasonably safe.
- Width the entire length and width of the property, in the Downtown Business District
- Section 7-1-2(B)
- Published by City of Waterloo
7-1-2: Prohibited Acts and Conditions, Waterloo, IA Code of Ordinances, read September 23, 2026

Why one Iowa answer does not exist

Ames and Waterloo are 38 hours apart

A house on one side of a city line in Iowa has ten hours and a house on the other has two days, which is the whole reason a state level answer to this question is no answer. 23 states carry a gap like it, the widest being Maine at 68 hours.

Neither city is wrong and neither is unusual. A sidewalk ordinance is written by a council for the street outside its own window, and nothing above it in Iowa obliges one council to look at what the next one wrote. The figure that applies to a reader is the one their own city published, which is why every card above carries the city’s name before it carries a number.

A sidewalk cleared earlier in the day with fresh wind blown snow already lying back across the outer half of it, a plowed road to one side and an unbroken snow field to the other — Almost every hour count on these pages 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, and what a fresh drift across a cleared walk does to the clock, is left to the wording each city chose, and that wording is quoted in full on the state pages. “Snow drifting onto a shoveled sidewalk, Ewing Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, 2024-01-20”, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0

What Iowa itself did

The Iowa statute, and what it does not do

Iowa Code puts the duty to clear natural accumulations of snow and ice from a sidewalk on the abutting property owner, with no hour count attached, and lets a city do the work and assess the cost against the property when the owner does not.

That is the national pattern rather than a Iowa 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.

A duty on the owner, with no clock

Iowa Code 364.12(2)(b)

Iowa Legislature

puts the duty on the abutting owner in statute and attaches no hour count to it

The abutting property owner is responsible for the removal of the natural accumulations of snow and ice from the sidewalks within a reasonable amount of time and may be liable for damages caused by the failure of the abutting property owner to use reasonable care in the removal of the snow or ice.

Iowa Legislature, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source

What happens if it is not done

A bill or a penalty, depending on the Iowa city

Six Iowa 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.

Three Iowa 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 Iowa 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

Iowa sidewalk snow removal questions

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

Iowa puts the duty on the abutting owner in statute and attaches no hour count to it. The clock is a city's instead, and seven Iowa cities count in hours. The tightest is Ames at ten hours and the loosest Waterloo at two days, a gap of 38 hours inside one state. 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. Seven Iowa cities publish a count of hours, and each one below is quoted from the ordinance or the city page it was read from. The middle of the Iowa figures is two days, against a day nationally.

Does Iowa have a state law about clearing sidewalks?

Iowa Code puts the duty to clear natural accumulations of snow and ice from a sidewalk on the abutting property owner, with no hour count attached, and lets a city do the work and assess the cost against the property when the owner does not. The section is Iowa Code 364.12(2)(b), published by Iowa Legislature. It reads: “The abutting property owner is responsible for the removal of the natural accumulations of snow and ice from the sidewalks within a reasonable amount of time and may be liable for damages caused by the failure of the abutting property owner to use reasonable care in the removal of the snow or ice.”

Why do two Iowa cities give different deadlines?

A house on one side of a city line in Iowa has ten hours and a house on the other has two days, which is the whole reason a state level answer to this question is no answer. 23 states carry a gap like it, the widest being Maine at 68 hours. Ames writes: “No owner shall, for a period of ten (10) daylight hours after the cessation of the storm or cause of accumulation, permit snow, ice, or accumulations to remain upon the adjoining and abutting sidewalks.”

Will the city clear my sidewalk in Iowa?

Six Iowa 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. Ames sets it out this way: “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.”

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

Three Iowa cities print a penalty beside the rule, each as a dollar figure. Each is reproduced below in the words its own ordinance used. Iowa City prints $250.00 first offense, $500.00 second, $750.00 third, for each day a violation exists or continues: “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”

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

Which cities in the country give you the least time?

How current is this?

Sidewalk snow removal rules in every state

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

Iowa read September 23, 2026: the municipal code and the city published pages of the 7 cities above, and Iowa Code 364.12(2)(b). 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.