Brockton, MA Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)

Sec. 20-14(a) puts the clearing duty on the owner, occupant, or tenant of any building or lot abutting a public way with a constructed sidewalk, and requires snow removal, including from handicapped ramps and curb cuts, within eight hours of each snowfall, regardless of whether the snow came from the storm itself or slid off an adjacent roof. The eight-hour duty is geographically bounded: the ordinance describes a specific downtown-area perimeter running along North Montello Street, Court Street, Plymouth Street, Crescent Street, Perkins Street, Lawrence Street, Main Street, Father Kenny Way, Warren Avenue, Bartlett Street, Newbury Street, Belmont Street, Arlington Street, West Elm Street, Spring Street, North Warren Avenue, and Wyman Street, closing back at Main Street.

Subsection (b) sets the penalty at not more than $50 for a violation. Subsection (c) separately forbids anyone removing or plowing ice or snow from abutting property from depositing that snow or ice back onto the public way, with subsection (d) fixing a flat $50 fine for that violation and expressly allowing non-criminal disposition, meaning it can be handled as a ticket rather than a criminal complaint. Sec. 20-15 gives sidewalks adjacent to school buildings priority: the department of public works must plow those walks and access routes for a reasonable distance, also commencing within eight hours of the snowstorm, for the safety of children walking to school.