After the latest snowfall, Mayor Marc Laredo reminded residents by email of the deadline by which sidewalks must be cleared: Wednesday, January 28 by 8AM. After that, property owners may face fines for leaving sidewalks obstructed by snow or ice.
Under City ordinance, residents and businesses are responsible for clearing snow and ice from sidewalks next to their property within 24 hours after the storm concludes, and the mayor may extend this deadline.
“City employees will respond to complaints reported to our 311 system about uncleared sidewalks,” Mayor Laredo wrote in his January 26 newsletter update.
First offenders receive a warning, and subsequent offenses may bring fines of $50 per day until the issue is resolved. Residents may apply for exemptions for hardship due to a combination of health and financial duress, or for religious circumstances.
In his newsletter, the Mayor stressed that keeping sidewalks passable is especially important for pedestrians, seniors, and people with disabilities, as well as for children walking to school and residents relying on public transit.
Former City Councilor Vicki Danberg, the sponsor of the original ordinance requiring residents to shovel their sidewalks, told Fig City News that she was impressed by how many residents were following the ordinance to keep the sidewalks clean, but she has driven by some properties where she has observed some residents have not complied.
“If you are out of town, you need to make provisions for having your walks cleared if you’re not going to clear them yourself,” she said.
She also pointed out that some people do not comply with the ordinance requirement that sidewalks be cleared 36 inches wide (or less, for narrower sidewalks). She said sidewalks that are cleared too narrowly can be impassable for people with strollers, wheelchairs, or guide dogs, and they may be forced into the street or over snowbanks.
She urges property owners to clear sidewalks fully, including around corners, so pedestrians can move safely through neighborhoods. In addition, she said businesses and homeowners who live on street corners are required to carve out an opening at the corner.
“It is more than a neighborly thing to do, it is a requirement,” she said. “There are people who walk to work. There are people who have to get out to get their kids to school. There are people with baby carriages, wheelchairs, and guide dogs. Guide dogs are trained to never bring their guided person out in the street, so what do they do when they get to a sidewalk that hasn’t been cleared? They walk them through it. No matter how high the snow is.”
Mayor Laredo also emphasized that the Fire Department employees would appreciate it if residents could shovel out fire hydrants near their homes.
