(A) Ice and snow removal.
(1) Any and every person in charge or control of any building or real estate fronting, abutting or improved with a paved sidewalk, whether as owner, tenant, occupant, lessee or otherwise, shall keep any sidewalk within their property or within any right-of-way adjacent to his or her property free of ice and snow such that all sidewalks shall have a path of at least 30 inches in width cleared of snow and ice and passable by pedestrians within 48 hours of the cessation of any precipitation from a winter storm.
(a) Where the premises are owner-occupied, unoccupied or vacant, or where there are multiple-business and/or dwellings on the property, the owner shall be responsible for complying with the requirements of this section.
(b) Where the premises are fully occupied by a tenant, then the tenant shall be responsible for complying with the requirements of this section.
(c) In the event snow and/or ice on a sidewalk has become so hard that it cannot be removed without likelihood of damage to the sidewalk, the person responsible for clearing the sidewalk shall, within 48 hours of completion of the winter storm, place enough sand or other abrasive on the sidewalk to make travel reasonably safe and shall, as soon thereafter as weather permits, clear a path in said sidewalk of at least 30 inches in width.
(2) Any and every person in charge or control of any building or real estate fronting, abutting or improved with a swale or gutter, whether as owner, tenant, occupant, lessee or otherwise, shall keep any swale or gutter within his or her property or within any right-of-way adjacent to their property, free of ice and snow such that all swales and gutters shall be unobstructed within 48 hours of the cessation of any precipitation from a winter storm.
(3) Any and every person in charge or control of any building or real estate fronting, abutting or improved with a fire hydrant, whether as owner, tenant, occupant, lessee or otherwise, shall be required to uncover any fire hydrant located on his or her property or within any right-of-way adjacent to his or her property, to the extent that at least a three-foot radius of clear space shall be maintained around the outside of fire hydrants and so that at least one-half of the hydrant is visible from the cartway within 24 hours of the cessation of any precipitation from a winter storm.
(4) No owner or other person shall be responsible, however, for cleaning snow and ice from township bike paths and pedestrian paths which do not abut streets or alleys or are completely physically separated from the remainder of the owner’s property by a buffer and/or berm.
(B) Improper ice and snow removal.
(1) No snow or ice shall be plowed, pushed, thrown or cleared from private property onto a public street, sidewalk, bikepath, pedestrian path, gutter or swale.
(2) No snow or ice shall be plowed, pushed, thrown or cleared from private property onto a neighboring property without the express permission of the owner of the neighboring property.
(3) No person shall deposit or cause to be deposited any snow or ice on or immediately next to a fire hydrant.
(C) Removal of ice and snow by township.
(1) Ice or snow on sidewalks, bike paths or pedestrian walkways or in swales or gutters is hereby decreed a public nuisance, and may be removed by township without prior notice to the owner.
(2) Should the township remove ice or snow on sidewalks, bike paths or pedestrian walkways or in swales and gutters in the interest of public safety, the cost of such work may be levied upon the owner, and upon non-payment for a period in excess of 30 days, the cost thereof may be assessed as a municipal lien, together with the cost of collection, and a reasonable administrative charge, and may be collected from the owner as provided by law.
(3) Ice and/or snow may be piled by the township onto or into sidewalks, bike paths, pedestrian walkways, swales, gutters or streets incident to the clearing of cartways and other public improvements by the township.
(Ord. 246, passed 1-14-2021) Penalty, see § 54.99