Battle Creek, MI Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)

Section 1022.12 of the Battle Creek Codified Ordinances sets the clock for snow and ice on public sidewalks in the City of Battle Creek. The duty falls on the owner, occupant, tenant or lessee of the premises adjacent to or abutting the sidewalk, and it can be met by causing the snow to be removed. Snow that accumulates before noon must be cleared by midnight the same day. Snow that accumulates after noon must be cleared by midnight of the following day. For snow showers on more than one consecutive day, the deadlines above apply or the snow must be gone within 48 hours after the first snowfall began, whichever is sooner.

Subsection (b) adds that snow shall not be piled or pushed into the street or the public right-of-way, so shoveling the sidewalk into the roadway does not satisfy the section.

Subsection (c) covers ice. Whenever ice forms on a public sidewalk, the abutting owner, occupant, tenant or lessee must remove it within 24 hours of formation. When immediate removal is impractical, suitable abrasives (salt, sand, etc.) or chemicals must be applied to the ice in such manner and quantity as to prevent the sidewalk from being slippery and dangerous to pedestrians.

Subsection (d) gives the City a fallback. If the responsible person neglects or fails to clear snow or ice within the time allotted, the City can clear it at the owner's expense. The expense and its associated administrative fee become a debt owed to the City, and if unpaid 30 days after billing they become a lien in favor of the City, levied as a special assessment against the property. The current text reflects Ordinance 16-2022, passed 12-20-22, which also repealed former Section 1022.13 on ice removal.

Section 1022.15 separately lets the City clear a sidewalk without further notice after twenty-four consecutive hours of neglect, with the cost assessed under Chapter 216 of the Administration Code, but Section 1022.17 exempts sidewalks beside residential-only property from that section. Section 1022.16 keeps the owner liable for slippery or dangerous conditions even if the City cleaned the sidewalk.