Snow and Ice Removal on Sidewalks 

Community Standards Division (734) 794-6942
Hours: 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (24-hour voice mail)

When it snows in Ann Arbor, the city depends on its citizens to be helpful, responsible, and aware of the need to remove all snow and ice from the public sidewalks including walks and ramps leading to a crosswalk.

During the winter, the City provides residents with up to one, five-gallon bucket's worth of a sand and salt mixture, per visit to the maintenance yard, 721 N. Main, (734) 994-1617. Residents should bring their own shovel and bucket and check in with the office upstairs for directions to the storage area before self-loading their bucket. This material is intended for City residents only, and not for contractors, even if servicing sidewalks. The pure salt stored in the barn is restricted for City operations.

During the winter months, many Ann Arbor residents (including children walking to school and the physically challenged) need to be able to safely use the public sidewalks. This means that all snow and ice should be removed from the entire constructed width of the public sidewalk. This enables people of all ages and physical condition to have access to clean pedestrian walkways. An important element in providing safe passage of pedestrians during snow events is in the hands of Ann Arbor residents themselves, namely, the removal of snow and ice from public sidewalks. There is an ordinance regarding snow removal (violations can result in fines up to $1000) that identifies the responsibilities of citizens in removing snow from sidewalks. However, clearing snow and ice from sidewalks should simply be looked upon as a combination of courtesy and caring toward all those who need to use the public walkways.

The city reminds property owners or occupants that: 

1. All snow and ice which has accumulated on the adjacent public sidewalk prior to 6am must be removed by noon from non-residentially zoned properties. Immediately after the accumulation of ice on such a sidewalk it must be treated with sand, salt or other substance to prevent it from being slippery. 

2. Within 24 hours after the end of each accumulation of snow greater than 1 inch, the owner of every residentially zoned property must remove the accumulation from the adjacent public sidewalk and ramps leading to a crosswalk. Ice must be treated as mentioned above and removed within 24 hours after formation. 

3. Please exercise caution and care when shoveling, especially during extreme cold.

If any citizen has a concern regarding sidewalk snow removal 24 hours after the end of an accumulation greater than one inch, Community Standards is ready to help. Citizens may call (734) 794-6942 (M-F, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) to report locations which may be in violation of the city snow removal ordinance. When calling, citizens should be prepared to leave their name and number in case staff requires additional information. Caller's names and numbers are kept in strict confidence, and are only used to process service requests. Upon reports of non-compliance, we will perform an inspection of the reported address. If the inspection reveals a violation, we will then inspect all addresses within the "100 block" (i.e., addresses 100 numbers apart such as 2300 to 2400) to ensure equitable treatment. Each address in violation will receive a "Sidewalk Snow Removal Notice" which is posted on the front door of the property. The notice gives the resident or property owner 24 hours to correct the situation and it also includes the Community Standards Office at (734) 794-6942 so that people may call with questions. Special circumstances may be considered which may result in an increase in the amount of time allowed to bring a sidewalk into compliance. If, upon re-inspection, the necessary action has not been taken, the city may clear the sidewalk and bill the property owner.

Copies of these city ordinances may be obtained by contacting the City Clerks office at (734) 794-6140 or online at Ann Arbor Code of Ordinances

To file a Community standards complaint you may either call (734) 794-6942, or e-mail CommunityStandards@a2gov.org. 

Community Standards Supervisor  (734) 794-6942

***************************************************************

Ann Arbor requires property owners to remove accumulated snow and ice from adjacent public sidewalks.   Residential properties must clear adjacent sidewalks of all accumulations of 1” or more within 24 hours of the end of accumulation.  Non residential properties must clear all snow and/or ice accumulation which has occurred prior to 6:00 a.m. by 12:00 noon the same day.

Clearing sidewalks includes clearing the sidewalk itself as well as crosswalk ramps leading to sidewalks.  All City sidewalks must be cleared to the paved surface and to the constructed width of the sidewalk along the entire length of the sidewalk including crosswalk ramps. 

Chapter 49 of City Code, sections 4:60 and 4:61 spell out the above requirements as well as the applicable time frames for compliance.  Failure on the part of a property owner to comply with code requirements in timely fashion may result in the City ordering contracted clean up of snow and/or ice at the property owner’s expense as well as the issuance of civil infraction citations with fines ranging from $100 to $1,000.

Insert Ch. 49 sections 4:60 and 4:61. 

Note: Complete City Code chapters are available at the City Clerk’s Office or on line at the City web site.

To register complaints regarding sidewalk snow/ice violations please contact The Community Standards Unit of the Police Department at: (734) 794-6942.

Assistance to elderly residents or residents with disabilities may be available via referral programs.  Residents who require time extensions to complete clearing of sidewalks may request such by contacting the Community Standards Unit by phone.

The City provides free sand/salt mix up to 1 five gallon pail per visit to residents who may pick this up at 721 N. Main St.  Residents must provide their own bucket and should bring a shovel or other implement for loading the bucket.  Contractors are not permitted to use sand/salt provided by the City.