Corvallis, OR Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)

Corvallis treats an icy or snow-covered sidewalk as a public-safety nuisance, not a courtesy. Section 5.04.050(2) groups snow and ice with surface water, mud, gravel, leaves, and other debris under 'Nuisances affecting public safety.' Subsection (2)(a) separately bars a building owner from letting rainwater, ice, or snow fall or flow from the structure itself onto a street or sidewalk, and (2)(b) requires the owner to keep drainpipes and drainage systems in working repair so roof runoff does not cross the sidewalk. Subsection (2)(c) is the core clearing duty: it is the joint and several duty of every owner and person in charge of property adjacent to a sidewalk to keep it free of ice, snow, mud, gravel, leaves, and other debris, and the code makes them liable for any damages arising from their fault or negligence in failing to do so.

There is no fixed number of hours to clear a walk written into this Section; the duty is continuous and liability is triggered by an injury plus a failure to maintain. Enforcement runs through the general nuisance procedure in Sections 5.04.070 through 5.04.120: the City Manager delivers or posts an abatement notice giving the owner five days to clear the hazard or request a hearing before a hearings officer, who must set the hearing within 48 hours of the request. If the owner does neither, the City Manager can abate the nuisance directly and bill the owner the cost plus a $10.00 or 20 percent administrative overhead charge, whichever is greater, as a lien against the property.

Independent of abatement costs, Section 5.04.030 lets a violation of the underlying duty be punished by a fine of up to $1,000 for each day the nuisance exists.