Buffalo property owners and occupants must clear sidewalks abutting their property within 24 hours of snowfall ending. The full sidewalk width must be passable, and ice must be treated with abrasive. Buffalo enforces aggressively given lake-effect snow risk and ADA accessibility concerns.
Buffalo City Code Section 413-50 requires the owner, lessee, or tenant in possession of every parcel of land in the city to remove snow and ice from the sidewalk abutting the parcel within 24 hours after snowfall ceases. The full width of the sidewalk must be passable, and ice that cannot be removed must be sprinkled with salt, sand, or other abrasive. Buffalo's Department of Public Works, Parks and Streets enforces the rule, with complaints routed through the 311 system. Given the city's lake-effect storms, multi-day snow events can trigger rolling 24-hour clocks; the city interprets the deadline as 24 hours after the storm finally ends, not after each individual band. Owners may not push snow into the public street. Civil liability for slip-and-fall on uncleared walks is governed by New York General Municipal Law and city-specific prior-written-notice rules; commercial property owners are particularly exposed. Buffalo offers a Snow Removal Assistance Program for qualifying elderly and disabled homeowners.
Fines start at $75 for the first offense and rise to $150 and $250 for subsequent offenses in the same season. Each day of noncompliance is a separate violation. Commercial offenders may face higher citations.
Buffalo, NY
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