Islip, NY Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)
Key Facts
- Duty period
- Winter season, while snow is on ground
- Who must clear
- Owner or occupant fronting the sidewalk
- Year-round duty
- Keep sidewalk clean, in good repair
- Fine range
- $20 to $250 per offense
- Governing section
- Code of the Town of Islip § 47A-17
Summary
Town Code § 47A-17 requires every Islip property owner or occupant to keep the sidewalk in front of the lot free of snow, ice and icy conditions throughout the winter season, and to keep it in good, clean repair year-round. Chapter violations carry fines up to $250 under § 47A-40.
Each owner or occupant of any house or other building and any owner or person entitled to possession of any vacant lot and any person having charge of any church or any public building in the Town shall, during the winter season or during the time snow shall continue on the ground, keep the sidewalk in front of the lot or house free from obstruction by snow or ice and icy conditions and shall at all times keep the sidewalk in good and safe repair and maintain it in a clean condition and free from filth, dirt, weeds or other obstructions or encumbrances.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4826765; v112 updated 2026-02-24; through 02-24-2026).
Full Breakdown
' The same sentence folds in a year-round general-maintenance duty: the sidewalk must be kept 'in good and safe repair' and 'in a clean condition and free from filth, dirt, weeds or other obstructions or encumbrances' at all times, not just after a storm. The chapter does not set a numeric hours-after-snowfall deadline; the duty is continuous for as long as snow or ice remains on the ground. A related provision, § 47A-19, separately bars leaving goods, merchandise or other items on a sidewalk for more than an hour, reinforcing that Islip sidewalks are meant to stay passable.
Enforcement runs through the Town's general Chapter 47A penalty section, § 47A-40, which applies to violations throughout the Streets and Sidewalks chapter, including this snow-clearing duty.
Violations & Fines
A violation of Chapter 47A, including the § 47A-17 snow and ice clearing duty, is punishable under § 47A-40 by a fine of not less than $20 and not more than $250, or imprisonment up to 15 days, or both. Each day the sidewalk remains obstructed or unrepaired is a separate, additional offense under that section.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to clear snow from my Islip sidewalk?
What's the fine for not clearing snow off a sidewalk in Islip?
Does the sidewalk duty in Islip cover more than snow?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Islip
New York rules heatmap·Compare Islip to another location·View the New York property maintenance overview
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