East Orange, NJ Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)

East Orange City Code Chapter 238, Article VIII places the snow-clearing duty on the owner, lessee or occupant of any premises abutting or bordering a street, avenue or highway in the City. The clock starts running with daylight: the sidewalk must be cleared to its full paved width within 12 hours of daylight after the snow or ice fell or accumulated. For apartment buildings, motels or hotels, the code specifies that the responsible 'occupant' means the janitor, superintendent or other person in charge of the building, so the duty does not fall on individual tenants in a multiresidence.

If the responsible party fails to clear the walk in time, the City can remove or clean the snow or ice itself and charge the cost against the abutting premises. That cost, once certified in writing by the Director of Public Works to the Collector of Taxes, becomes a paramount lien on the property, added to and collected with the property's taxes. Enforcement under § 238-46 makes clear that any fine or penalty imposed for violating the article does not bar the City from also collecting its cleanup cost: the two remedies are cumulative, so a property owner can face both a fine and a tax lien for the same failure to clear the walk.