Fall River, MA Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)
Key Facts
- Clearing window
- 5 hours, sunrise to sunset
- Ice alternative
- sand or salt if left
- Covers
- sidewalks and wheelchair ramps
- Street dumping
- snow must be leveled, not heaped
Summary
Fall River property owners and tenants must clear sidewalk snow within five hours between sunrise and sunset, or sand or salt any ice left in place, including wheelchair ramps.
No owner or tenant of any estate abutting on a sidewalk shall place or suffer to remain for more than five hours between sunrise and sunset any snow upon such sidewalk, or any ice upon such sidewalk unless such ice is made reasonably even and covered with sand, salt or other acceptable material to prevent slipping; nor shall any person place any ice or snow in a street outside of the sidewalk unless the ice or snow is made reasonably even at the time of placing. For the purposes of this section, sidewalks shall include wheelchair ramps extending from the sidewalk to the street.
B. A violation of this section shall be subject to the procedures and fines established for the noncriminal disposition of ordinance violations contained in §§ 2-1021 through 2-1025 of the City Code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4739915; v14 updated 2025-12-23; through 12-23-2025).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 66-32 gives abutting owners and tenants five hours between sunrise and sunset to clear snow off a sidewalk; ice may stay only if it's made reasonably even and covered with sand, salt or similar material to prevent slipping. The rule treats wheelchair ramps as sidewalk, and separately bars dumping snow into the street unless it's leveled when placed. Violations run through the City's noncriminal disposition process rather than criminal court.
Violations & Fines
Enforced through the noncriminal disposition process, §§ 2-1021 to 2-1025 of the City Code; each day snow or ice remains beyond the five-hour window is a separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to shovel my sidewalk after it snows in Fall River?
Does the snow rule cover wheelchair ramps?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fall River
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Snow & Sidewalk Clearing in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Bristol County handle snow & sidewalk clearing.