(A) (1) The occupant of occupied premises and the owner of unoccupied premises or vacant lot situated in the town are required to keep the sidewalks in front of or adjacent to the premises free from snow and ice, as provided in this section.
(2) OCCUPANT, as used in this section, shall mean the person occupying, for business, as a residence, or for other purposes, the first floor of any building situated on the premises.
(3) If the first floor of any building is not occupied, then the premises shall be deemed and held to be unoccupied, and the owner thereof shall be required to keep the sidewalks in front of or adjacent thereto free from snow and ice.
(B) In case any snow or ice accumulated on any sidewalk as described in division (A) above has not been removed by the occupant or owner within 24 hours from the time the snow ceased to fall or the ice has accumulated, then in either of those cases the occupant or owner shall be deemed and held to have violated the provisions of this section.
(C) (1) All businesses open to the public shall remove all snow or ice accumulated on any sidewalk within 2 hours from the time the snow ceased to fall or the ice has accumulated, unless that occurs during non-business hours, in which case the snow and ice shall be removed within 2 hours after the start of business.
(2) Should the provisions of this division (C) not apply for any reason, nevertheless, business owners shall be subject to all other provisions of this section.
(D) Any person charged with violation of this subchapter whether by ticket, citation or affidavit, shall have the option of paying the fine imposed within the time specified in the notice of arrest at the Town Clerk-Treasurer’s office on entering a plea of guilty and on waiving appearance in court.
(E) The payment of a fine to the Clerk-Treasurer shall be deemed an acknowledgment of conviction of the alleged offense, and the Clerk-Treasurer, on accepting the prescribed fine, shall issue a receipt to the violator as acknowledging payment therefore.
(F) If any owner, occupant or business as described in this section does not remove the snow and ice as provided, the Street Superintendent is authorized to remove or cause to be removed the snow and ice, and report, in writing, the necessary expense incident thereto to the Clerk-Treasurer, who shall certify the amount, with a description of the lot or parcel or ground and the owner's name the amount shall then become a lien on the lot or parcel of ground, and shall be collected by the Clerk-Treasurer at the same time and in the same manner that the other assessments on real estate are collected.
(1996 Code, § 6-101)