Appleton, WI Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)

Sec. 16-10 of the Appleton Municipal Code puts snow and ice removal squarely on the property owner or occupant. Subsection (a) gives everyone thirty-six hours from the moment a snowfall stops to clear all snow and ice from the entire width of the sidewalk along the entire perimeter of the premises they own or occupy, including any handicap access ramps on that perimeter. Until the snow can be fully removed, any ice that accumulates has to be treated right away with sand, salt or another substance to keep it from being slippery, and that treatment has to continue until the ice is actually cleared.

If an owner or occupant fails to remove the snow and ice, or fails to sand or salt as required, the Common Council directs the work to be done for them and the cost becomes a special tax assessed against the lot along the entire perimeter where the work was performed. Subsection (b) works the other direction: no one may move snow or ice from their own property onto a public right-of-way, and snow cleared from sidewalks can't be piled in a way that blocks vehicle or pedestrian sightlines, movement or access.

Snow that street plows push back onto sidewalks and handicap ramps is still the abutting owner's responsibility to clear under the same section. Where there isn't room between the sidewalk and street to store all the removed snow, subsection (b) requires it to go back onto the abutting private property instead. Subsection (c) separately declares that depositing snow or ice on any sidewalk, alley or street is a nuisance, on top of whatever chapter penalty applies, and lets the City summarily remove it and charge the removal cost to the property owner.