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.

Vermont Sidewalk Snow Removal: 4 Hours

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

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

24 V.S.A. § 2291(2)

4h

What its cities allow

in the one city that counts in hours

1 of 6

Cities with an ordinance

3 clear it themselves and bill

September 23, 2026

Read

2 publish a penalty

The short answer

Winooski gives four hours, and Vermont sets nothing above it

Vermont has a statute that does one thing only, which is to let a local government pass a rule of its own. The clock is a city's instead, and one Vermont city counts 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.

A city may1 of 6 cities with an ordinance1 counting in hours3 clear it themselves

City by city, in each city’s own words

The one Vermont city that publishes an ordinance

One Vermont city publishes 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 Vermont figures is four hours, 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.

Winooski
Up to 6h
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 day
The owner, agent or person having the care of land or buildings bordering on a street, square or other public place in the downtown area (the area contained within the perimeter of the railroad tracks (north boundary), Abenaki Way (east boundary), the Winooski River (south boundary) and Mayo Street (west boundary)), where there is a sidewalk, footway, awning or shade, shall, 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 day, cause the snow to be removed from such sidewalk, footway, awning or shade.
Whose duty it is, as the ordinance puts it
The owner, agent or person having the care of land or buildings bordering on a street, square or other public place in the downtown area
- If it is not done the city may clear it and charge the property
- Section Section 22.03 - Snow and Ice Removal
- Published by Winooski Department of Public Works
Winooski Municipal Code, Chapter 22 Streets and Sidewalks, read September 23, 2026

What Vermont itself did

The Vermont statute, and what it does not do

Vermont sets no statewide shovelling deadline. State law lists the power to require it as one of the things a town, city or incorporated village may do.

That is the national pattern rather than a Vermont 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.

Permission for a local government to write one

24 V.S.A. § 2291(2)

Vermont General Assembly

has a statute that does one thing only, which is to let a local government pass a rule of its own

To provide for the removal of snow and ice from sidewalks by the owner, occupant, or person having charge of abutting property.

Vermont General Assembly, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source

What happens if it is not done

A bill or a penalty, depending on the Vermont city

Three Vermont 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 Vermont 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.

Where nothing was found

5 Vermont cities read publish no clearing ordinance

One Vermont city read here, Winooski, sets a four hour daytime deadline and only downtown, while Burlington and the others plow their own sidewalks and their snow ordinances govern where snow may be put rather than when a walk must be cleared.

Where a city publishes no clearing ordinance, there is no municipal deadline to count against and no municipal penalty behind it, and what stands is the state's own position set out above. Each card below links to the chapter of the code it was read from. Nationally 80 of the 267 cities read are in the same position.

Burlington
No ordinance found
No sidewalk clearing ordinance was found for this city.
No person shall throw or put, or cause to be thrown or put, snow or ice in the part of the street known as the travel portion nor on a sidewalk of a street.
- Section 27-84 Throwing snow into street prohibited.
- Published by Burlington Department of Public Works
Snow and Ice Control Plan, Burlington Department of Public Works, read September 23, 2026
Montpelier
No ordinance found
No sidewalk clearing ordinance was found for this city.
No person, partnership or corporation shall throw, shovel, propel, deposit or cause to be thrown, shoveled, propelled or deposited, snow or ice from private property into the streets or public sidewalks.
- Penalty not less than $5.00 nor more than $50.00
- If it is not done the city may clear it and charge the property
- Section Sec. 3-506. - PLACING ICE OR SNOW ONTO PUBLIC WAY.; Sec. 3-507. - REMOVAL OF ICE AND SNOW ON PUBLIC WAY PLACED THERE FROM PRIVATE PROPERTY.
- Published by City of Montpelier
Code of Ordinances, Chapter 3, Article V, Montpelier, VT, read September 23, 2026
Saint Albans
No ordinance found
No sidewalk clearing ordinance was found for this city.
4304. Snow and Ice Removal from sidewalks. (Removed 12-14-2015)
What it says about ice
The occupant, tenant, or in case there shall be no occupant, the owner, agent, or person having the care of land or buildings bordering on a street, square, or other public place, where there is an awning, or shade, shall, after snow ceases to fall, if in the daytime within 4 hours, and if in the nighttime before twelve o'clock at noon then next succeeding, cause the snow to be removed from such awning or shade.
- Section Title 15, Chapter 5, Section 4304
- Published by City of Saint Albans
Title 15 - Streets, Highways and Public Places, City of Saint Albans, read September 23, 2026
South Burlington
No ordinance found
No sidewalk clearing ordinance was found for this city.
- Published by City of South Burlington
Code of Ordinances, Chapter 32 Streets, Sidewalks and Other Public Places, South Burlington, VT, read September 23, 2026
Springfield
No ordinance found
No sidewalk clearing ordinance was found for this city.
No person shall throw, shovel, propel or deposit, or cause to be thrown, shoveled, propelled or deposited, snow or ice from private property into the streets or public sidewalks.
- Penalty A warning will be issued for the first offense. There will be a fine of $50.00 for each additional offense.
- If it is not done the city may clear it and charge the property
- Section Sec. 20-1. - Placing ice or snow onto public way; removal.
- Published by Town of Springfield Public Works Department
Code of Ordinances, Chapter 20, Article I, Springfield, VT, read September 23, 2026

How Vermont 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

Vermont sidewalk snow removal questions

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

Vermont has a statute that does one thing only, which is to let a local government pass a rule of its own. The clock is a city's instead, and one Vermont city counts 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. One Vermont city publishes 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 Vermont figures is four hours, against a day nationally.

Does Vermont have a state law about clearing sidewalks?

Will the city clear my sidewalk in Vermont?

Three Vermont 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. Winooski sets it out this way: “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.”

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

Two Vermont cities print a penalty beside the rule, each as a dollar figure. Each is reproduced below in the words its own ordinance used. Montpelier prints not less than $5.00 nor more than $50.00: “the person, partnership, or corporation causing such snow or ice to be thrown, shoveled, propelled or deposited from private property onto the street or public sidewalk shall be fined not less than $5.00 nor more than $50.00.”

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

Which cities in the country give you the least time?

How current is this?

Sidewalk snow removal rules in every state

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

Vermont read September 23, 2026: the municipal code and the city published pages of the 6 cities above, and 24 V.S.A. § 2291(2). 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.