Des Plaines, IL Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)

Under Des Plaines's property maintenance and street ordinance, owners and occupants of property abutting a public sidewalk are responsible for removing snow and ice from that sidewalk after a snowfall. The required clearance window is typically 24 hours after the snowfall ends, though specific timing depends on the City's adopted ordinance. Sidewalks must be cleared full width or to a minimum 36-inch path to allow safe pedestrian and ADA-compliant passage. Snow and ice may NOT be shoveled, blown, or plowed into the public street, where it interferes with City plowing and creates traffic hazards. Snow should be piled on the property side of the sidewalk in a location that does not block sight triangles at corners or driveways. Contractors plowing private driveways must also follow this rule. The City typically does not plow residential sidewalks. Illinois's Snow and Ice Removal Act (745 ILCS 75) provides limited liability protection for residential property owners who voluntarily remove snow from sidewalks (so-called Good Samaritan protection), but this does not eliminate the City's clearance ordinance.