Gaithersburg, MD Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)
Key Facts
- Grace period
- 12 hours from last snowfall or freeze
- Notice compliance window
- 12 hours from receipt of city notice
- Who is covered
- Owners, occupants, HOAs, multifamily operators
- Enforcement remedy
- City removes and bills cost to owner
- Charter authority
- City Charter § 66
Summary
Gaithersburg bans leaving snow or ice on a sidewalk abutting your property. If it's reported, the city manager gives owners a 12-hour notice to clear it after a 12-hour grace period from the last snowfall, then removes it and bills the owner if ignored.
It shall be unlawful for any occupant or owner of a dwelling or place of business or a condominium or homeowner's association, or the owner or operator of multifamily residential buildings within the city to permit snow or ice to remain upon the sidewalks or walk abutting their property. When it is called to the attention of the city manager that snow or ice has been permitted to remain upon the sidewalks or a walk abutting the property of an owner or occupant for a period of more than twelve (12) hours from the last snowfall or freeze, the city manager shall order the removal of such snow or ice by sending a notice to the owner, owner's agent, or occupant to remove the same within twelve (12) hours from the receipt of such notice, and in the event the owner, owner's agent, or occupant refuses to comply with the terms of such notice, the city manager shall have such snow or ice removed and charge the cost of its removal to the property owner, owner's agent, or occupant.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 52 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 19-1 makes it unlawful for any occupant, owner, condominium or homeowners' association, or the owner or operator of a multifamily residential building to permit snow or ice to remain on the sidewalk or walk abutting their property. The section builds in a two-step timeline: first, if snow or ice has been left on the sidewalk for more than 12 hours after the last snowfall or freeze and it's brought to the city manager's attention, the city manager sends the owner, owner's agent or occupant a formal notice; second, that notice gives the recipient 12 hours from receipt to remove the snow or ice.
If the owner, agent or occupant still doesn't comply, the city manager has the snow or ice removed and charges the removal cost to the property owner, agent or occupant as a debt. The rule traces to the city's 1957 general ordinances and was last amended by Ord. No. O-3-92 in 1992; the Charter (Sec. 66) authorizes the council to require sidewalks be kept free of snow and ice, and the code notes a historical state law reference (former Md. Ann. Code art. 23A, Sec.
2(28)) as the source of that municipal authority. The requirement applies uniformly to single-family, condominium/HOA-governed and multifamily properties within the city, with no exception carved out for renters versus owners once occupancy is established.
Violations & Fines
If snow or ice remains after the 12-hour compliance notice expires, the city manager removes it directly and bills the removal cost to the property owner, owner's agent, or occupant as a collectible debt; the code does not set a separate fine amount for this section beyond the cost-recovery mechanism itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to clear snow from my Gaithersburg sidewalk?
What happens if I never clear the snow after getting a notice?
Does this snow removal rule apply to condo and HOA sidewalks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Gaithersburg
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Snow & Sidewalk Clearing in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Montgomery County handle snow & sidewalk clearing.