Snow and ice removal on sidewalks
We got a little reminder from the city about shoveling and thought we'd pass it along. (The pic is from YouTube 😆 )
Since December of 2008, to make public sidewalks safe for pedestrians, the City of Lawrence enforces Ordinance Number 8324. This ordinance requires all Lawrence property owners to keep the sidewalks adjacent to their property clear of snow and ice within 48 hours of a winter storm. Get the Facts: Sidewalk Snow Removal
The owner of property immediately adjacent to a public sidewalk is responsible for the removal of any snow or ice that accumulates on the sidewalk. Removal must be done within 48 hours after the ice forms or the snowfall ends. For example, if snow stops falling at 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning, then by Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m., the sidewalks should be clear or the property owner could potentially face a citation from the city’s Code Enforcement division.
In the event that removal of ice is impossible, the property owner is required to place sand on the sidewalk within 48 hours.
“The purpose of this snow and ice removal ordinance is to create an environment of safe walkways for pedestrians,” said Brian Jimenez, code enforcement manager. The ordinance applies to all public sidewalks in the city and is primarily handled on a complaint-based system, not staff-initiated code violations. “If a resident sees a sidewalk that has not been cleared within 48 hours of a snow event, they can call our division at (785) 832-7700 or go online and submit the violation online,” said Jimenez. “It is helpful if the complainant can provide a specific address instead of a general area; this allows us to be the most efficient we can be when processing complaints.”
In a situation where a property owner fails to comply with the ordinance and the Development Services Department receives a complaint, a citation will be written. Property owners will be assessed a fine of $20 for each day the violation occurs, plus $63 in court costs if found guilty of the violation. For more information on the snow and ice removal ordinance, contact the Development Services Department, (785) 832-7700.
The Safe Winter Walkways program is seeking volunteers who can assist residents with sidewalk snow removal. Safe Winter Walkways is a program provided by the City of Lawrence and the Senior Resource Center for Douglas County.
For city snow operations and live traffic cameras, visit www.lawrenceks.org/snow.
awrence Public Schools, in partnership with the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department and the Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization, is working on an updated city-wide Safe Routes to School plan for Lawrence. The next step in the development of an updated plan is to collect parent input on the desired components of a Safe Routes to School program.
