Maintaining City Sidewalks in the Winter

The responsibility is on homeowners and business owners to keep the sidewalks clear.

DULUTH, Minn.- With snow hitting some areas hard,means its time to bust out the shovels. The city takes care of our roads but its on Northlanders to maintain the sidewalks of Superior.

The city doesn’t have enough resources to ensure the sidewalks are clear for pedestrians. So with this snowfall its important for homeowners and business owners to know the responsibility is on them.  According to the city of Superior’s code if your property has sidewalk in front or adjacent, the snow needs to be removed within 48 hours of the snowfall. There is an exception for certain areas, Places where there is no grass area in between the sidewalk and the street, known as Hollywood blocks get some assistance from the city.

“The difference in these areas is that they can push that snow, off to the side towards the street,” code compliance officer Lee Sandok Baker said “Then eventually as the city goes along and as time and resources allow, they do pick up that snow and take it away.”

Owners still need to maintain a passable path for pedestrians within the 48 hour window. If you fail to clean up the sidewalk within that time frame, you may receive a warning notice in the mail from the city. Inspectors will check back to make sure the snow was shoveled, if its still not clear the city will take care of it but owners will be billed for the work. Taking that bit of time to shovel past your drive way helps create a safer place.

For more information visit City of Superior Code of Compliance.