Champaign, IL Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)
Key Facts
- Covered areas
- University District and Downtown Business District only
- Trigger
- 2 inches of snow, declared by Public Works Director
- Deadline
- 24 hours after declaration
- Clearance width
- full sidewalk width or 48 inches
- 4+ unit buildings
- must also clear driveways/parking lots citywide
- Nonpayment
- bill due in 28 days plus attorney's fees
Summary
In Champaign's University District and Downtown Business District, owners must clear snow, ice, sleet, or freezing rain from abutting public sidewalks within 24 hours after the Public Works Director declares a 2-inch accumulation, per Section 9-5. There's no fine, but if the City clears it for you, you're billed for the full cost, plus collection fees if unpaid after 28 days.
(a)Every owner of a lot in the University District or Downtown District, as both districts are described in (g) below, which lot contains, abuts or fronts on a paved public sidewalk, shall remove and clear away, or cause to be removed and cleared away, snow, after at least two (2) inches of snow has accumulated, and also accumulations of ice, sleet, or freezing rain.(c)Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, snow, ice, sleet, or freezing rain shall be removed as provided in subsections (a) and (b) of this section within twenty-four (24) hours after the public announcement of the Director of Public Works set forth in section (f).(h)No fine shall be imposed for a violation of this ordinance; however:(2)After the City clears such accumulation, the person responsible for snow removal under subsection (a) of this section shall pay to the City, all the costs incurred by the City as the result of such removal including, but not limited to, all costs incurred by the City as administrative costs.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
Section 9-5 applies only inside two mapped areas, the University District and the Downtown Business District, both boundary-described in subsection (g). Inside those boundaries, any owner whose lot contains, abuts, or fronts a paved public sidewalk must clear snow once at least two inches has accumulated, along with any ice, sleet, or freezing rain, and then keep the walk reasonably clear afterward. Clearance must cover the sidewalk's full width or at least 48 inches, whichever is narrower, and owners closest to a curb ramp must clear that ramp too.
Buildings with more than four dwelling units also owe clearance of driveways, parking lots, and the connecting walkways, citywide, not just inside the two districts. m. m. Friday, never on a recognized holiday, timed to roughly match the City's own arterial-street plowing progress. If ice has bonded so hard that removal would damage the sidewalk, the owner may sand or otherwise treat it instead, until conditions allow full removal. The City Clerk keeps a copy of every declaration.
Violations & Fines
Section 9-5(h) imposes no fine. Instead, if an owner fails to clear a covered sidewalk, the City may clear it and bill the owner for every cost incurred, including administrative costs. Payment is due within 28 days of the bill; unpaid balances add the City's collection costs and reasonable attorney's fees, and whoever last paid property taxes on the lot is presumed responsible.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much snow triggers Champaign's sidewalk-clearing deadline?
Does this snow rule apply everywhere in Champaign?
What happens if I don't clear my sidewalk in time?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Champaign
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