Gary, IN Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)

Section 36-45(a) puts the snow-and-ice-removal duty on every owner, lessee, tenant, occupant or other person in charge of a building or lot abutting a Gary street. In residential districts, that means clearing a path at least four feet wide, though a business located in a residential district still has to clear its sidewalk in its entirety rather than just the four-foot strip. In business districts, the sidewalk must be cleared completely regardless of its width. Timing runs on two different clocks under §§ 36-46 and 36-47.

In residential districts, snow that falls or accumulates before 12:00 noon must be removed within eight hours after it stops; snow that falls after noon or overnight must be cleared by 12:00 noon the following day. In business districts, snow accumulating before 4:00 p.m. must be removed within three hours after it stops falling. Section 36-45(b) defines the operative 'day' as 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for these deadlines, and § 36-45(c) makes the occupant of the premises, or the person in charge if the property is occupied, the one responsible for compliance.

If an owner, occupant or agent fails to comply, § 36-48 lets the city's street department enter the property, remove the snow and ice itself, and bill the cost as a special assessment against the property, collected by the city treasurer the same way as other taxes and assessments. Section 36-49 exempts vacant, unimproved property in sparsely settled localities, defined as any block with fewer than three occupied buildings.