Allegany County, MD Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)

Chapter 461, Article III sets three sidewalk categories: those built with the Maryland State Highway Administration or other county-initiated projects (§ 461-22), those built by a subdivision developer (§ 461-23), and those installed by individual owners (§ 461-24). Each section makes the abutting property owner responsible for 'sidewalk surface maintenance, including, but not limited to, removal of leaves, weeds, and snow.' Sidewalks may not be blocked by vehicles or obstructions, used as a depository for materials or waste, or defaced or removed. Under § 461-25, Compliance Required, the County establishes a schedule of fines for an abutting owner's failure to maintain a sidewalk, and every violation is treated as a civil infraction.

An owner given proper notice of a violation has a 30-day window to remedy it before being served a civil citation under Article 25B, § 13C of the Annotated Code of Maryland, and each day the violation continues counts as a separate offense. For sidewalks in developer-built subdivisions, if the owner fails to repair or replace a damaged sidewalk within 120 days of notice, the County can contract the repair itself, bill the owner, and record a lien against the property for the unpaid cost; the lien is released once the owner pays the repair cost and any filing fee. The County may also pursue injunction or mandamus relief in court to enforce or correct violations of the article.