Apple Valley, MN Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)

Section 96.03 of the Apple Valley Code of Ordinances makes it unlawful for the owner or the occupant of real property to fail to remove snow or ice from public sidewalks within 48 hours after the snow or ice has been deposited. The duty falls on occupants as well as owners, so a tenant carries it alongside the landlord. The stated purpose is to prevent a public nuisance affecting the safety of the general public.

Two exclusions are printed. The section does not apply to sidewalks on dead-end streets where no houses face that side of the street, nor to sidewalks which are asphalt surfaced. The Mayor, or in the absence of the Mayor, the acting mayor, can file with the City Clerk a written declaration suspending the requirements when the accumulation of snow makes removal unreasonable. Suspension continues for the remainder of the winter season, unless revoked by the City Council at its first regular meeting following the date of the written declaration.

The nuisance chapter backs the deadline. Section 94.17(A) declares a public nuisance all snow and ice not removed from public sidewalks within 48 hours after the snow or other precipitation causing the condition has ceased to fall. Under § 94.01, snow, ice, or rubbish removal from sidewalks is a current service the city can perform and charge as a special assessment. The owner or occupant has five days from the date of the city's mailed notice to abate, and if they do not, the city can do the work. The owner and occupant are personally liable for the cost, and the city mails an invoice that is immediately due and payable. Unpaid charges carry monthly service charges and can be specially assessed under M.S. § 429.101.

A separate rule in § 96.07 covers plowing snow into the road. No person, unless acting under a specific contract with the city or with special permission, shall place snow or ice in any travel portion of any street, sidewalk or trail right-of-way. An owner or occupant who deposits snow or ice there must remove it within 12 hours after notice is given by the city, and pays the city's cost within 30 days of mailing of the invoice.