State | Snow Removal Law |
|---|---|
| Alabama | No state snow-removal law. |
| Alaska | Property owners are required to maintain their driveways and in most areas, the approach roads to their properties. Tenants may be responsible for removing snow from privare areas. |
| Arizona | Owners, lessees, or residentsmust remove snow from public walkways that border the property within 24 hours. In winter, it is illegal to park on city streets and alleys where snow removal operations are taking place. |
| Arkansas | No state snow-removal law. |
| California | Snow removal when necessary to provide access to properties served by the easement attached or adjacent to it. The act of putting snow or other materials on a public right-of-way is a misdemeanor. |
| Colorado | The owners of buildings, stores, and any other public places are responsible for removing snow and ice to enable safe access to their property. |
| Connecticut | Owner or resident is responsible for snow removal on adjacent public walkways and public gutters. |
| Delaware | The state assumes responsibility for clearing sidewalks along public roadways, however property owners in some towns and counties will still need to meet local requirements for removing snow. |
| Florida | No state snow-removal law. |
| Georgia | No state snow-removal requirements. However, if an individual does shovel snow, it may not be placed in any public road, street, or walkway. |
| Hawaii | No state snow-removal law. |
| Idaho | The owner of a building (home, business, church, etc) is to keep their sidewalks clear of snow every day. |
| Illinois | Residents and property owners are encouraged to remove snow from sidewalks and public walkways. Anyone who removes snow shall not be held liable for injuries that occur as a result of snow or snow removal. |
| Indiana | Prohibits obstructing roadways, and pushing or shoveling snow could be considered an obstruction. Property owners and occupants must clear sidewalks adjacent to the property. A 5-foot wide path must be cleared. |
| Iowa | Residents must remove snow from sidewalks with 24-hours of one inch of snow falling. The entire width of the sidewalk must be cleared down to the concrete. |
| Kansas | Property owners must shovel snow and ice from public sidewalks for face a fine and a misdemeanor. |
| Kentucky | Property owners are responsible for removing snow from walkways within 4 hours after daylight and after falling snow has ceased. |
| Louisiana | No state snow-removal law. |
| Maine | Residents and residential property owners have 12 hours to remove snow or ice after a storm has ended. Snow removal operators may not deposit, shovel, blow, or plow snow onto or next to a public highway or road. |
| Maryland | Depending on the city, residents have 12-72 hours to remove snow from public sidewalks. |
| Massachusetts | Property owners and landlords are responsible for managing all snow and ice on their property and keeping all entrances, exits, and pathways safe and operable. |
| Michigan | Snow, as well as ice, shall be removed from sidewalks in order to reduce the likelihood of injuries to pedestrians. |
| Minnesota | Snow and ice must be removed within 24 hours from public sidewalks. |
| Mississippi | No state regulation regarding snow removal from public sidewalks by owners. Some cities have a snow removal reimbursement program that reimburses residents for hiring contractors to remove snow from streets. |
| Missouri | Most Missouri cities require property owners to clear any sidewalks on the public streets alongside their property within a reasonable time after snow or ice storms. |
| Montana | Residents should clear public walkways, driveways and sidewalks of snow and ice within 24 hours. |
| Nebraska | Property owners and occupants must remove snow and ice from public sidewalks and walkways that adjoin their property within 24 hours or face a fine. Owners must also clear the snow from mailboxes and fire hydrants on their property. |
| Nevada | The burden is on property owners to keep their properties, and the adjoining public sidewalks, free and clear of snow, ice, and other dangerous conditions. |
| New Hampshire | Sidewalks on public roads are maintained and cleared of snow and ice by the municipality at no additional cost to property owners. |
| New Jersey | Single-family homeowners have no duty to clear snow or ice from their property and will only be held liable to injury claims if they make the snow condition more dangerous than what occurs naturally. Owners of multifamily properties must clear snow and ice from public walkways and sidewalks on and in front of their property. |
| New Mexico | Property owners are responsible for shoveling their sidewalks after each snowstorm to ensure safe pedestrian access. Snowplows may have to make several passes in front of a home or business during continuous periods of snowfall. As a result, snow may be pushed onto sidewalks that already have been cleared, and the property owner is responsible to clear this as well. |
| New York | Property owners are responsible for removing snow and ice from paved walkways and sidewalks outside their property in order to create a safe path for pedestrians. If a property owner has a bus stop or fire hydrant in front of his or her property, said owner is responsible for removing snow and ice from the sidewalks surrounding those areas. |
| North Carolina | Property owners are required to clear the sidewalks abutting their property of ice before 10AM each day in which the temperature exceeds 40 degrees Fahrenheit. |
| North Dakota | The Street Department maintains approximately 34 miles of city sidewalk and will clear sidewalk snow and ice following a storm. However, in some cities like Bismarck, ND residents are required to clear all snow and ice from their sidewalks and crosswalks. |
| Ohio | No official state law requires homeowners to remove snow. However, several local ordinances do require owners or residents to remove snow from public sidewalks. |
| Oklahoma | Property owners and residents must remove snow from public sidewalks on their property within 24 hrs after snowfall. |
| Oregon | The home or property owner is responsible if someone slips or falls and is injured on an icy or snowy sidewalk. |
| Pennsylvania | Property owners and occupants have a legal duty to shovel sidewalks within a specified time after a storm has ended. |
| Rhode Island | All snow must be removed by the property owner from a path not less than three (3) feet in width of the entire border in or on said street, highway, or public place, from "around any fire hydrant on the sidewalk in front of said building or lot," from "the opening of any catch basin in the sidewalk of said building or lot," and from "pedestrian-access ramps cut into street curbs bordering said building or lot." |
| South Carolina | No state snow-removal law. |
| South Dakota | No specific state laws regarding snow removal from sidewalks around residential properties. The state empowers municipalities and governing bodies to determine ordinances and laws. |
| Tennessee | Property owners are expected to take steps to remove snow and ice within a reasonable time after it has formed or accumulated. |
| Texas | No specific state laws regarding snow removal from sidewalks around residential properties. The state empowers municipalities and governing bodies to determine ordinances and laws. |
| Utah | No specific state laws regarding snow removal from sidewalks around residential properties. The state empowers municipalities and governing bodies to determine ordinances and laws. |
| Vermont | No specific state laws regarding snow removal from sidewalks around residential properties. The state empowers municipalities and governing bodies to determine ordinances and laws. |
| Virginia | Depending on the amount of snow (0-6 inches or 6+ inches), property owners have 24-72 hours to remove snow from public walkways. |
| Washington | Property owner is responsible for the maintenance of sidewalks or may delegate maintenance to the tenant, occupant, lessee by written agreement. |
| West Virginia | No specific state laws regarding snow removal from sidewalks around residential properties. The state empowers municipalities and governing bodies to determine ordinances and laws. |
| Wisconsin | No specific state laws regarding snow removal from sidewalks around residential properties. The state empowers municipalities and governing bodies to determine ordinances and laws. |
| Wyoming | No specific state laws regarding snow removal from sidewalks around residential properties. The state empowers municipalities and governing bodies to determine ordinances and laws. |