Meriden, CT Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)
Key Facts
- Snow removal deadline
- 12 hours after sunrise (§ 180-46)
- Ice treatment deadline
- 6 daytime hours (§ 180-47)
- Enforcing agency
- Police Department / Director of Public Works
- Nonpayment remedy
- City repair billed as a lien
- Roof snow deadline
- 24 hours before City removes it
Summary
Meriden property owners must clear sidewalk snow within 12 hours after sunrise and treat icy sidewalks within six hours during daytime. If an owner neglects the job, the Director of Public Works has it done and bills the owner, with the cost becoming a lien.
The owner, or the owner's agent, of any premises abutting upon any street or public place in the City where there is a sidewalk shall cause all snow to be removed from such sidewalk within 12 hours after sunrise. ... Whenever any sidewalk mentioned in the preceding section, or any part thereof, is covered with ice, the owner, or the owner's agent, of the abutting premises shall, within the space of six hours thereafter, during the daytime, cause such sidewalk to be made safe and convenient by removing the ice therefrom or by covering the same with sand or some other suitable substance and renewing such application as often as may be necessary to keep such sidewalk safe and convenient. ... The Director of Public Works, or his designee, shall cause all sidewalks which the owner, or the owner's agent, of the abutting property neglects to clean and make safe for travel, by removing the snow and ice thereon in accordance with this article, to be cleaned and made safe for public travel by removing snow and ice therefrom, and the cost thereof shall be chargeable to such owner or owner's agent and a lien on such abutting property.
Full Breakdown
Meriden Code § 180-46 requires the owner, or the owner's agent, of any premises abutting a street or public place with a sidewalk to remove all snow from that sidewalk within 12 hours after sunrise. Section 180-47 covers ice separately: once a sidewalk covered under § 180-46 becomes icy, the owner or agent has six hours during the daytime to make it safe, either by removing the ice or by covering it with sand or another suitable substance, and must renew the application as often as necessary to keep the sidewalk safe.
If an owner or agent neglects to clean and make the sidewalk safe, § 180-48 lets the Director of Public Works, or a designee, do the work, with the cost chargeable to the owner or agent and made a lien on the abutting property. The article reaches beyond sidewalks too: § 180-49 requires removing roof snow that could endanger public travel within a reasonable time after a storm, and if snow remains on a roof 24 hours after the storm ends and endangers public safety, the Chief of Police can have it removed at the owner's or occupant's expense.
Section 180-50 separately bars throwing or putting snow or ice from private premises into a street in a way that impedes travel. Enforcement of this entire article runs through the Police Department under the Chief of Police, per § 180-45, added in 1996, which also authorizes citation enforcement by a City of Meriden police officer, in addition to the City's cost-recovery and lien remedies.
Violations & Fines
Failing to clear sidewalk snow within 12 hours of sunrise under § 180-46, or failing to make an icy sidewalk safe within six daytime hours under § 180-47, exposes the owner or agent to City-performed cleanup billed to them under § 180-48, with the unpaid cost becoming a lien on the property. The Police Department, under the Chief of Police, enforces this article by citation under § 180-45.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to clear snow from my Meriden sidewalk?
What if the sidewalk is icy instead of snowy?
What happens if I never clear my sidewalk?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Meriden
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