One reminder that people often forget during the first major snowfall is the City of Plymouth ordinance about keeping the sidewalk cleared of snow. The ordinance, #96.020 requires everyone to remove all snow and ice from the full paved width of the sidewalk within 24 hours of the snowfall.
The city doesn’t care who does the snow and ice removal, the property owner, renter, lessee, occupant or other individual or hired business. They only thing that matters is having a clear clean sidewalk for those who need to use the sidewalks.
The ordinance does provide a penalty for individuals and businesses that don’t clean their sidewalks. The city can have the sidewalk cleaned and place a lien on the property to cover the cost.
Mayor Senter said, “I want to emphasize that this is businesses as well as residents that are required to remove the snow from the sidewalk.”
DUTY TO REMOVE IN 24 HOURS.
It shall be the duty of every owner, lessee or occupant of any premises abutting or bordering upon any street in the city to remove, or cause to be removed, all snow and ice from the sidewalk in front of such premises to the full paved width of the sidewalk within 24 hours after such snow or ice shall have fallen or accumulated thereon.
UPON FAILURE OF OWNER, PUBLIC WORKS TO REMOVE.
In the event of the failure of the property owner, lessee or occupant to remove or cause to be removed snow and ice from sidewalks as required in the preceding section, within the period of time specified in the preceding section, the Board of Public Works may remove or clean such snow or ice or cause the same to be removed or cleaned.
COLLECTING COSTS
The cost of removal or cleaning of snow and ice, as provided in the preceding section, shall be a lien on such property, which shall be placed on the tax duplicate and shall be collected in the same manner as taxes are collected and turned in to the City Treasury.
