New Britain, CT Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)

Sec. 21-8(a) puts the clearing duty on "the owner, tenant or custodian responsible for the maintenance of property located adjacent to sidewalks on public streets," requiring removal within six hours of daylight following any snow or ice accumulation; where the ice can't be fully removed, the responsible party must spread sand or other gritty material instead. Subsection (b) separately bars throwing or placing snow or ice into a city street from private property without the department of public works' permission, and requires anyone who does throw snow or ice from a sidewalk or gutter into the street to break it into small pieces and spread it evenly.

Subsection (c) sets the penalty: a fine of $50 for each day a person fails to clear snow or ice from the sidewalk adjacent to property they own, occupy, or control, on top of liability for the city's cost of removal under Sec. 21-17's lien procedure. Sec. 21-8.1, adopted by a 1996 ordinance, separately shifts civil liability for slip-and-fall injuries: under Connecticut General Statutes Sec. 7-163a, the city is not liable for injuries from ice or snow on a public sidewalk unless the city itself owns and controls the abutting land, but the abutting property owner carries the same duty of care the municipality previously had, and can be sued for a breach of that duty within two years of the injury.

Together, Secs. 21-8 and 21-8.1 mean a property owner faces both a $50-per-day municipal fine for a late shovel job and potential civil liability to an injured pedestrian if the delay causes a fall.