Snow and ice clearing is set by each community under MGL c.85 §5, which lets cities by ordinance and towns by bylaw require abutting owners to clear sidewalks. State law caps the penalty at $50 in a city and $10 in a town per violation.
Massachusetts counties cannot impose snow duties; the authority runs to cities and towns under MGL c.85 §5. That statute lets Brockton by ordinance, and Plymouth, Marshfield, Scituate, Duxbury, and Wareham by bylaw, require the owner or occupant of land abutting a sidewalk to remove snow and ice, and to set the time and manner. The same section caps fines at fifty dollars per violation in a city and ten dollars in a town. Brockton's ordinance requires clearing after a storm; the surrounding towns vary, with some requiring removal and others leaving it voluntary. Check your specific community's bylaw for the deadline.
Failing to clear an abutting sidewalk where the local rule requires it brings a fine capped by statute at $50 per violation in Brockton and $10 per violation in the towns, assessed for each day or storm.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Plymouth County's snow & sidewalk clearing rules stack up against other locations.
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