What happens if you don’t shovel the snow off your sidewalk? It depends on where you live. With Overland Park recently debating stricter requirements for clearing sidewalks of snow, we decided to look at how various cities handle it.
KCMO
The owner of any property has a duty to clear off snow and ice “within a reasonable time.” The penalties are the same as for littering, which means a fine of between one dollar and one thousand dollars.
Lee’s Summit
ANARCHY! “There is not an ordinance requiring property owners to clear sidewalks. However, property owners are encouraged to clear snow for safety reasons.”
Prairie Village
You only get one day—and you’d better not toss snow from your sidewalk onto the street, as that is prohibited. The city charges scofflaws the price of the city clearing it.
Shawnee
Leaders in Shawnee know your neighbors count on being able to use your sidewalk—which is why the city gives residents forty-eight hours but will fine up to five hundred dollars.
Mission
You have to shovel, but you get two full days and there’s no fee for non-compliance. However, the city will issue a “courtesy notice” to anyone who hasn’t shoveled.
Olathe
Property owners must keep the sidewalk clear “at all times,” and if the owner “refuses or neglects to do so the city will clear it” and “shall assess the cost of such removal.”
