Bowling Green, KY Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)

Bowling Green sits in south-central Kentucky and receives modest annual snowfall (typically well under a foot per year on average), so the city has not adopted a dedicated sidewalk-snow ordinance with a fixed shoveling clock like northern cities. The applicable provisions are: (1) City Code 21-1.02 — every person owning, acting as agent for, or occupying any building or lot in the city must keep the sidewalk and right-of-way adjacent to such building or lot open and free from obstructions, barriers, and impediments. The Public Works Director or designee may allow a temporary obstruction if it is removed within 24 hours following installation, and may order immediate removal of any obstruction without prior notice in an emergency. Accumulated snow and ice on a public sidewalk that creates a hazard for pedestrians can be addressed under this general obstruction authority. (2) City snow & ice operations: Bowling Green Public Works operates 10 large and 5 small salt/plow trucks across 10 zones (Priority A arterials, B collectors / bus / school routes, C major-traffic collectors, D residential), beginning plowing at roughly 2 inches of accumulation. The city does not clear residential sidewalks — that responsibility falls on the abutting property owner under 21-1.02. (3) Property owners should shovel snow onto their own property rather than into the street, as pushed-back snow creates driving hazards and obstructs plows. (4) Enforcement of 21-1.02 obstructions runs through City of Bowling Green Code Compliance & Animal Protection (270-393-3444) and the Code Enforcement and Nuisance Board (City Code 2-21). Fines for general ordinance violations run up to $100 per offense, with each day a separate offense. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the city's own sidewalk-obstruction rule, snow accumulations that block accessible passage may also draw federal-law complaints.