Oakland County, MI Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)

Troy's rule is the clearest in the county: owners and occupants must clear snow over 2 inches and any ice from public sidewalks adjacent to their property within 24 hours following the end of the snowfall event. Single- and two-family homes addressed to a non-major thoroughfare are exempt from clearing side/rear-yard sidewalks abutting the listed major thoroughfares (Adams, Beach, Big Beaver, Coolidge, Crooks, Dequindre, 14 Mile, John R, Livernois, Long Lake, Maple, Northfield Parkway, Rochester, South Boulevard, Square Lake, Stephenson, Wattles). Royal Oak's Chapter 545 requires sidewalks cleared within 24 hours of the end of accumulation. Birmingham and Berkley use 24-hour standards. Ferndale, Madison Heights, and Pleasant Ridge enforce similar timelines tied to schools and bus routes first. Farmington Hills' Chapter 22 (Streets and Sidewalks) requires that snow and ice be removed from public sidewalks abutting any property — failure is a civil infraction. Bloomfield Township, where many subdivisions lack public sidewalks, instead enforces driveway-apron clearing under its property-maintenance code. Statewide, MCL 257.677a prohibits depositing snow on a roadway or shoulder in a way that obstructs driver vision — a civil infraction with fines up to $100. Snow emergencies in Troy (declared at >4 inches under the 2024 update) require all vehicles off the street with fines up to $75 for violators.