Snow is extremely rare in Santa Clara County's valley floor and Santa Clara County has no snow clearing ordinance; mountain properties should clear for safety.
Santa Clara County's climate is Mediterranean with snow essentially never falling on the valley floor where San Jose, Cupertino, Mountain View, and most unincorporated areas are located. Because snow accumulation in residential sidewalks is virtually unheard of in the Bay Area, Santa Clara County has no codified sidewalk snow clearing ordinance comparable to those in colder climates. In the rare hillside and mountain communities above roughly 2,500 feet elevation (Loma Prieta, Mount Hamilton, Summit Road areas), occasional dustings do occur every few years but typically melt within hours and do not trigger enforcement concerns. Property owners remain responsible under California Streets and Highways Code 5610 for general sidewalk maintenance, which could arguably extend to removing hazardous conditions including ice, though no local ordinance specifies snow removal. If ice forms from irrigation or rain near freezing, prudent owners should sand or otherwise mitigate slip hazards to limit premises liability exposure.
Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Santa Clara County, CA
Unincorporated Santa Clara County's Noise Ordinance includes a motor-vehicle noise provision (Section B11-155). On public roads, vehicle exhaust and muffler ...
Santa Clara County, CA
Unincorporated Santa Clara County's Noise Ordinance treats animal noise as a disturbance: keeping any animal or bird that barks, howls, meows or squawks cont...
Santa Clara County, CA
In unincorporated Santa Clara County, Section B11-154 prohibits construction, drilling, repair, alteration or demolition noise that creates a disturbance acr...
Santa Clara County, CA
In unincorporated Santa Clara County, the County Noise Ordinance (Division B11, Chapter VIII) sets stricter nighttime exterior noise limits from 10:00 p.m. t...
Santa Clara County, CA
Oversized and heavy vehicles face restrictions in unincorporated Santa Clara County. Commercial vehicles over 10,000 pounds gross weight rating are barred fr...
Santa Clara County, CA
Heavy commercial vehicles are restricted from parking in residential areas of unincorporated Santa Clara County. County rules generally bar parking commercia...
See how Santa Clara County's snow & sidewalk clearing rules stack up against other locations.
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