Denver residential property owners must clear sidewalks within 24 hours of snowfall ending. Businesses, commercial properties, and CBD addresses have only 4 hours. The full sidewalk width must be cleared. Owners who fail to comply may be cited and billed for city contractor clearance.
Denver Revised Municipal Code Section 49-551 requires every owner or occupant of property in the city to remove snow and ice from sidewalks abutting their property. Residential property owners must complete clearance within 24 hours after snow stops falling, while commercial and Central Business District properties must clear within 4 daytime hours. The full width of the sidewalk must be cleared, and where ice cannot be removed, the owner must apply sand, salt, or a melt product. Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) inspectors respond to complaints through the 311 system and may issue Notices of Violation. Repeat violators face escalating fines and potential clear-and-bill action. Civil liability for slip-and-fall injuries on uncleared walks may attach under Colorado premises-liability law where the owner had notice and opportunity to remedy. Denver's Snow Buddies program connects elderly and disabled residents with volunteer shovelers.
First offense: $150. Second offense in the same season: $500. Third and subsequent offenses: up to $999 per day. Commercial and CBD properties face the highest end of the range. Repeat violators may be referred for prosecution.
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See how Denver's snow & sidewalk clearing rules stack up against other locations.
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