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

The duty in Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, sits in Chapter 121, § 121-8C, and it falls on the owner, occupant, or tenant of every property abutting a public street or highway along which a sidewalk exists. The clock is 24 hours after the precipitation causing the accumulation has ceased, and the deadline applies to snow or ice deeper than two inches. Clearing means exposing the wearing surface of the sidewalk to a width of not less than 48 inches or the actual width of the sidewalk, whichever is less, so a narrow sidewalk must be cleared edge to edge. Shoveled snow cannot go into the roadway: anyone removing snow or ice from a sidewalk, or from any other part of the property, is barred from depositing it in or upon a public street or highway between the curblines.

If the work is not done, the Township can post a notice on the property giving 24 hours to clear the sidewalk. When that notice is ignored, the Township is authorized to remove the snow and ice through an employee or contractor, though it is not obligated to. The owner is then liable for all costs and expenses the Township incurs, in addition to the penalties for violating the article. If the cost is not paid within 30 days of the invoice date, the Township can file a municipal lien against the property or collect the sum by other means the law allows. In an emergency situation the Township can remove snow and ice without any notice.

Section 121-8A repeats the duty from the maintenance side: the abutting owner's responsibility extends to removal of snow, ice, debris or obstructions. Section 121-9 gives the Township Engineer or designee the job of enforcing the article, and § 121-10 sets the penalties.