Council Bluffs, IA Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)

Council Bluffs Municipal Code § 10.32.010 puts the duty to clear sidewalk snow and ice on the occupant of any building, or the owner, agent or person in charge of an unoccupied lot, fronting the walk, and gives them twenty-four hours from the time snow fell or ice formed to clear it and keep it clear. Where ice is frozen too hard to the sidewalk to remove, the section allows sprinkling or spreading a suitable material, such as sand or salt, instead of full removal, to keep the surface from being slippery.

The same section shields the city from liability for injuries on an uncleared walk in any different manner than if the duty did not exist, and § 10.32.040 later confirms the city's own general duty does not include removing or treating snow and ice except where the city itself is the abutting owner. If an owner neglects or refuses to clear a walk, § 10.32.020 lets the city clear it using city employees, contractors or other agencies under the public works director's supervision, and assess the actual cost against the lot, capped at one dollar per front foot, certified and collected as a special tax with interest just like other special assessments.

Separately, § 10.32.030 makes it unlawful to dump snow that did not naturally fall between the curblines of the public way, and makes any person who fails to clear a walk within the twenty-four-hour window guilty of a misdemeanor in its own right.