Iowa City requires owners and tenants to clear snow and ice from abutting sidewalks within 24 hours (City Code 16-1A-8), the full width down to the pavement. Miss the deadline and the city hires a contractor and bills you plus a $100 fee.
This duty sits with the cities, not the county — the unincorporated area has little continuous sidewalk. Iowa City's ordinance (City Code 16-1A-8) bars any owner, tenant or occupant from letting snow or ice sit on an abutting public sidewalk more than 24 hours after it stops, and the walk must be cleared its full width to the concrete, not just a narrow path. On a complaint an inspector tags the property and mails a notice giving another 24 hours; if it is still not cleared, the city hires a contractor and bills the owner plus a $100 administrative fee. Coralville and North Liberty impose their own clearing deadlines. Uncleared walks also create slip-and-fall liability.
Iowa City tags the property, allows 24 more hours, then clears the walk with a contractor and bills the owner the cost plus a $100 administrative fee. Owners also face slip-and-fall liability.
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See how Johnson County's snow & sidewalk clearing rules stack up against other locations.
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