Albany, OR Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)
Key Facts
- Who must clear
- Owner, lessee, occupant, or person controlling any premises or unimproved property
- Covered area
- Sidewalks abutting the property
- Standard deadline
- Two hours after snow or ice has ceased to fall
- Evening snowfall
- If falling after 6:00 p.m., clear by 7:30 a.m. next day
- Violation civil penalty
- Not more than $1,000
- Misdemeanor maximum
- $2,500 fine or up to one year, or both
Summary
In the City of Albany, Oregon, Albany Municipal Code § 7.68.010(8) requires the owner, lessee, occupant, or person in control of a property to clear snow and ice from the abutting sidewalk within two hours after it stops falling. If it falls after 6:00 p.m., the sidewalk must be clear by 7:30 a.m. the next day.
(8) No owner, lessee, occupant, or person having the control or custody of any premises or unimproved property shall permit any snow or ice which has fallen or has accumulated upon the sidewalks abutting upon such premises or property to remain more than two hours after the snow or ice has ceased to fall thereon; provided, however, that if the snow is falling or ice accumulating after the hour of 6:00 p.m., the same shall be removed by 7:30 a.m. the following day.
Full Breakdown
In the City of Albany, Oregon, the snow rule is subsection (8) of § 7.68.010, part of Chapter 7.68, Obstruction of Passageways. It puts the duty on the owner, lessee, occupant, or person having the control or custody of any premises or unimproved property. The duty covers the sidewalks abutting that property, and it reaches vacant lots as well as occupied buildings.
The clock is short. Snow or ice cannot remain more than two hours after it has ceased to fall on the sidewalk. If snow is falling or ice is accumulating after the hour of 6:00 p.m., the sidewalk has to be cleared by 7:30 a.m. the following day. The two-hour count begins when the precipitation ends, not when it starts. The most recent amendment to the section is recorded as Ord. 6038, 2024.
The same section addresses other sidewalk hazards. No person can deposit earth or other debris upon a street or sidewalk (5), and a cellar door or grate located in a sidewalk cannot stay open except while the entrance is being used, with the proper safeguards to protect pedestrians (7). Subsection (1) separately bars obstructing pedestrian or vehicular traffic on any sidewalk or street.
Cases move through the Albany Municipal Court. Under Chapter 1.05, violations are charged on a summons and complaint, the civil penalty is adjudicated by the procedure Oregon Revised Statutes prescribe for traffic violations before municipal courts (§ 1.05.040), and an unpaid civil penalty is enforceable through contempt proceedings (§ 1.05.050). The Municipal Judge can promulgate a schedule of forfeitures so that a person charged can deposit the scheduled amount, waive further appearance, and have it forfeited as a plea of no contest (§ 1.04.010(1)(g)).
Violations & Fines
Subsection (8) prints no fine, so the general penalty in Chapter 1.04 fills in. An offense with no stated penalty is deemed a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than $2,500 or imprisonment not to exceed one year, or both (§ 1.04.010(1)(b) and (c)). A violation classification carries a civil penalty of not more than $1,000. Every day, or portion thereof, during which a violation is committed, continued, or permitted is a separate offense under § 1.04.010(1)(d).
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast must I clear my sidewalk of snow in Albany, Oregon?
Does the snow rule apply to a vacant lot in Albany?
What is the penalty for not shoveling in Albany?
Who hears snow removal cases in Albany?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Albany
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