IS IT A CRIME NOT TO SHOVEL MY SIDEWALKS IN DENVER?

Denver has its first major snowstorm forecasted for Wednesday, October 26 and a lot of citizens are now preparing for winter. What many of them might not realize is that leaving their sidewalks unplowed might lead to trouble that could snowball out of control.

In the city of Denver homeowners have 24 hours after snow stops falling to remove it from their sidewalks, but business owners only have 4 hours. The Denver municipal code regulates snow removal, while the punishment for failure to remove snow is created by the manager of public works. In Denver failure to remove snow can incur a fee of up to $150.

Some readers might think this is a silly law that would never be enforced, however, last year over 3,000 cases of failure to shovel snow were investigated. Denver does try to work with first time offenders to let them correct the condition, but habitual offenders can face fines. If you are forced to use walkways that have not been cleared you can report the condition using Denver 3-1-1.