Buffalo, NY Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential deadline
- Clear snow/ice before 9:00 a.m.
- Business deadline
- 24 hours after snow stops
- Fine class
- Fine Class D, § 137-7
- Maximum penalty
- $300 per violation
- City cleanup cost
- Billed to owner via tax assessment
- Enforcing body
- Parking Violations Bureau / Street Sanitation
Summary
Every Buffalo property owner or occupant must clear snow and ice off the sidewalk fronting their premises before 9:00 a.m. under City Code § 413-50, and must also clear any handicapped access cut by the same hour. Businesses holding a City license or building permit face a stricter 24-hour clock. Failing to comply carries a Fine Class D penalty capped at $300 under § 137-7.
It shall be the duty of every owner or occupant of any premises abutting any public street to remove, before 9:00 a.m., all snow and ice which may have fallen upon the sidewalk abutting said premises. In case said sidewalk is not paved its full width, it shall be necessary to remove such snow or ice from a space three feet in width. ... The owner or occupant of any building or lot abutting a public sidewalk is responsible for and shall remove any accumulation of snow and/or ice from said public sidewalk within 24 hours after the snow and/or ice has ceased to fall, gather or accumulate. Failure to keep such sidewalk or other pedestrian way free of snow and ice shall be grounds for denial or revocation of such license or licenses.
Full Breakdown
m. Where the sidewalk is not paved full width, the owner must clear a three-foot-wide path. deadline applies separately to any handicapped access cut installed in the sidewalk, and the owner is liable for injury caused by failing to keep the walk, gutter and cut free of snow, ice and other obstructions. If snow or ice is frozen too hard to remove safely, § 413-50(C) allows the owner to spread ashes, sand, sawdust or salt instead, but the walk must still be thoroughly cleaned as soon as the weather permits.
A separate 24-hour rule under § 413-50(E) binds anyone holding a City license, license renewal, or building permit for commercial or business premises: they are deemed to have agreed, as a condition of that license or permit, to clear snow and ice from the adjacent sidewalk within 24 hours after the snow stops falling, gathering or accumulating, and failure to do so is grounds for the City to deny or revoke the license. If an owner neglects the work, § 413-51 lets the Commissioner of Street Sanitation send crews to clear the walk and bill the cost back to the property through a special assessment on the tax roll.
Enforcement runs through the Parking Violations Bureau under Chapter 137, Code Enforcement, which issues the notice of violation and hears the case, with appeal rights carried over from § 307-14.
Violations & Fines
Sidewalk snow-and-ice violations of § 413-50 are classified as Fine Class D under the § 137-7 schedule last amended February 18, 2025: a $100 base fine, a $100 initial penalty and a $100 additional penalty, for a maximum total of $300 per notice of violation. Commercial license or permit holders who ignore the 24-hour rule also risk denial or revocation of their City license.
Frequently Asked Questions
How early must I shovel my Buffalo sidewalk after snow falls?
Is there a different rule for businesses?
What if the snow is frozen solid?
What happens if I never clear my sidewalk?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Buffalo
New York rules heatmap·Compare Buffalo to another location·View the New York property maintenance overview
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