Haverford, PA Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)

Section 138-3 of the Haverford Township Code, in Chapter 138 (Property Maintenance), puts the duty on "property owners or persons in possession of any premises in the built-up sections of this township." That wording reaches both the deed holder and a tenant or occupant who has possession. The duty has two parts. First, snow must come off the sidewalk in front of the premises within 24 hours after the snowfall. Second, the sidewalk must be kept free and clear of snow, slush and ice at all times, so the obligation does not end after the first round of shoveling. Slush and ice are named alongside snow, and Section 138-3 prints no minimum snow depth that starts the clock.

The rule sits in Article I, Brush, Grass and Weeds, which the Board of Commissioners adopted on 10-13-1924 as Ordinance No. 232. The same article makes it unlawful to maintain trees or hedges that obstruct the lighting of streets, sidewalks and highways, or to let trees, hedges or tall grasses grow along the sidewalks in front of lots so as to obstruct their use (§ 138-2). Section 138-5 lets the Director of Health or the Director of Public Works order such obstructions removed within five days and, if the owner refuses, have the township do the work at the owner's cost with a penalty of 10%, collected by action or a municipal lien. That five-day notice procedure is written for trees, hedges, tall grasses and weeds, not for snow, so the snow rule stands on the 24-hour deadline in § 138-3 itself.

The penalty clause in § 138-4 was amended 6-30-1986, 6-13-1988 and 3-12-2012 (Ord. No. 2660), which is when the fine ceiling reached its current $1,000.