Amarillo, TX Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Amarillo Code of Ordinances § 4-6-184
- Business district deadline
- 2 business hours after snowfall ends
- Other sidewalks deadline
- same day, or 2 daylight hours
- Outer limit
- 24 hours for all other sidewalks
- Minimum clear path
- 36 inches wide, unobstructed
- Maximum fine
- $500 per day under § 1-1-5
Summary
Amarillo property owners must clear sidewalk snow and ice fast: two business hours in business districts, and the same day or the first two daylight hours elsewhere, whichever is longer. Section 4-6-184 sets a hard backstop of twenty-four hours everywhere else, and requires sand or abrasive if the ice cannot be safely chipped away.
(a)Any person in charge or control of any Building or Lot, Tract or Parcel of land abutting a Sidewalk shall remove or cause to be removed snow and ice on the Sidewalk such that an unobstructed, clear and nonhazardous path of no less than thirty-six (36) inches in width is maintained.(b)Except as provided in subsection (d), snow and ice shall be removed from Sidewalks in all business Districts within the City by two (2) business hours (the hours between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., on any business day) after the cessation of any fall of snow, sleet or freezing rain or by the beginning of business hours of the next business day.(d)Snow and ice will be removed from all other Sidewalks within twenty-four (24) hours of cessation of any fall of snow, sleet or freezing rain. However, if snow and ice on a Sidewalk has become so hard that it cannot be removed without likelihood of damage to the Sidewalk the owner will, within the time specified above, put enough sand or other abrasive on the Sidewalk to make travel reasonably safe.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 81).
Full Breakdown
Section 4-6-184 of the Amarillo Code of Ordinances requires whoever is in charge of a building or lot abutting a sidewalk to remove snow and ice so that a clear, nonhazardous path at least thirty-six inches wide remains open. on a business day, after snow, sleet, or freezing rain stops falling, or by the start of business the next business day if the weather clears after hours. On sidewalks outside the business districts, the deadline is the same calendar day the precipitation ends, or the first two hours of daylight after it ends, whichever gives the property owner more time.
Subsection (d) sets an outer limit of twenty-four hours for all other sidewalks regardless of that same-day rule. If ice has bonded to the sidewalk so tightly that removing it risks damaging the concrete, the owner must instead spread sand or another abrasive within the same deadline to make the path reasonably safe for pedestrians, and must fully clear the sidewalk once the weather allows. The obligation runs with whoever is 'in charge or control' of the property, which covers owners, tenants, and property managers alike, and applies separately to every abutting sidewalk segment on a parcel.
Violations & Fines
Failing to clear a sidewalk within the section 4-6-184 deadlines is enforced like any other Code violation: a fine of up to $500 under the general penalty in section 1-1-5, with each day the snow or ice remains blocking the required 36-inch path treated as a new, separate offense. Code Enforcement can also cite a property for failing to sand or abrasive-treat ice that cannot safely be chipped away.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much time do I have to shovel snow off my Amarillo sidewalk?
What if the ice is frozen too hard to remove safely?
How wide does the cleared path have to be?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Amarillo
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