 |
  |
  |
  |
|
 |
|
|
|
Last Updated: 2/13/12
Snow falling and covering the landscape can be a very pretty sight, but when it covers sidewalks, it can become a serious safety hazard for everyone.
The first person to walk through freshly fallen snow may not have much difficulty. Snow that is packed into ice by subsequent travelers becomes dangerously slick and harder to remove.
It is the duty of every owner or occupant of any premises to keep the adjacent sidewalk free and clear of snow and ice no later than twenty-four (24) hours after any snowfall.
For an exact time the snow has stopped, please visit the National Weather Services website for Longmont at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/data/obhistory/KLMO.html.
Any owner or occupant of any such premises who fails, neglects or refuses to keep sidewalks free and clear of snow and ice is guilty of an offense.
The City of Longmont Code Enforcement Officers respond to complaints and proactively inspect sidewalks. If un-cleaned sidewalks are found they will issue a Notice of Violation to the responsible parties. Failure to clean the sidewalks after a reasonable time will result in further legal action.
The Code Enforcement Officer may have the sidewalk cleaned and the cost billed to the property owner and/or occupant of the premises. Repeat offenders may be issued a summons to appear in Municipal Court.
Some common issues and solutions:
Commercial ice melters put on early in the day may loosen the ice for removal with shovels.
Arrangement should be made with a neighbor or friend to shovel your walks while you are gone.
Arrange to have family, friends or neighbors shovel walks for you.
You may contact Code Enforcement to obtain a number for agencies that help seniors and the disabled.
City of Longmont, Municipal Code
Section 9.04.130 Snow and ice on sidewalks--Owner or occupant responsibility
A. Within twenty-four hours after any snow or ice stops falling on a public sidewalk, it is the duty of:
B. Each responsible person listed above shall remove or cause the removal of snow and ice to expose the abutting public sidewalk for the entire width of the sidewalk or the width of four feet, whichever is less.
C. After removing snow and ice as required above, each responsible person listed above shall keep the abutting sidewalk reasonably passable.
D. Under this section, snow or ice has not "stopped falling" if additional snow or ice falls within four hours.
E. The obligations stated above do not apply to a public sidewalk abutting a single-family residential property on one side, and an arterial street, city green way, city park, or city golf course on the other side. Nor do those obligations apply to a sidewalk from which the city regularly removes snow and ice.
F. As used in this section, "sidewalk" means a paved public way designed and constructed for pedestrian travel, and "arterial street" means an arterial street identified in the Longmont Area Comprehensive Plan or accompanying maps.
G. Violation of this section is an offense under this code. The community development director or the director's designee may notify a responsible person listed above of the city's intent to correct a violation. If the violation remains twenty-four hours after such notification, the community development director or the director's designee may remove or cause the removal of snow and ice from any sidewalk affected by the offense. Upon a conviction, the municipal court shall add to the sentence of a responsible person so notified the director's reasonable certified expenses of removal. The city shall collect such added expenses in the same manner it collects other municipal court fines. Assessments against property for abatement costs under other parts of this chapter shall not apply to the city's expenses under this paragraph.
H. The council intends, by this section, to create legally enforceable duties for the benefit of persons lawfully using public sidewalks. Subject to applicable rules of law, including comparative negligence and other civil defenses, breach of these duties shall support civil recovery by injured persons lawfully using public sidewalks from each violator, jointly and severally, for damages the violation proximately causes.