Cleveland, OH Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Cleveland Codified Ordinances § 507.13
- Clearing deadline
- 9:00 a.m. each day
- Unpaved-walk path width
- At least 5 feet
- Residential fine
- Up to $5 plus $1/day continuing
- Business-use fine
- $25.00 per day (§ 507.99(h))
- Uncleared debris standard
- City clears and liens the property
Summary
Cleveland Codified Ordinances § 507.13 requires every owner or occupant fronting a public sidewalk to clear it of snow and ice by 9:00 a.m. each day. Unpaved walks need at least a 5-foot cleared path, and ice that can't be fully removed must be sanded or ashed for safe footing.
Every owner, occupant or person having charge of any tenement, building, lot or land fronting on any avenue, street, alley or other public highway of the City, shall clear the whole sidewalk in front of the tenement, building, lot or land, of snow and ice, before 9:00 a.m. of each day; provided, that if the sidewalk ... is not flagged or paved, a pathway thereon shall be cleared of ice and snow to the width of at least five (5) feet.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-28: Current through legislation passed September 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
of each day. Where the walk isn't flagged or paved, the owner must clear a path at least 5 feet wide. If snow or ice cannot be fully removed, the section requires covering what remains with ashes, sand or another substance to keep travel safe. The same section separately requires owners to keep the full width of the sidewalk, curb to lot line, clear of earth, sand, brick, stone, rubbish, dead trees and branches, and to cut back any weeds or grass over 4 inches tall growing in the tree lawn strip.
13 lets the Director of Public Service remove the snow, ice or debris and charge the expense to the owner; unpaid charges are certified to the County Auditor and become a lien on the property, collected the same way as special assessments. 13.
Violations & Fines
Fines under § 507.99(g) run up to $5.00 per offense plus $1.00 for each additional day for residential properties; business-use properties are fined a flat $25.00 for each day the violation occurs or continues under § 507.99(h). The City may also clear the snow itself under § 507.13 and bill the owner, with unpaid bills becoming a property lien through the County Auditor.
Frequently Asked Questions
By what time must Cleveland sidewalks be cleared of snow?
What if I can't get all the ice off my Cleveland sidewalk?
Are the fines higher for a business property that doesn't clear snow?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cleveland
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Snow & Sidewalk Clearing in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Cuyahoga County handle snow & sidewalk clearing.