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

Section 10-720(1) sets the core rule: the owner, agent and tenants of any building or premises must clear a path at least 36 inches wide on all abutting sidewalks within six hours after the snow has ceased to fall, and the path "shall be thoroughly cleared of snow and ice," not just partially shoveled. Where the sidewalk itself, measured from the property line to the curb, is under three feet wide, the required cleared path shrinks to 12 inches. For a multifamily dwelling, the Code places responsibility squarely on the owner or agent rather than splitting it among tenants. Subsection (2) adds a companion rule: snow or ice removed from sidewalks, driveways or other areas "shall not be placed or piled in the street," closing off the obvious workaround of shoveling the sidewalk clear by dumping the snow into the roadway.

Subsection (3) routes enforcement and penalties to Sections 10-718 and 10-719, the same chapter machinery used for litter, dumping and recycling violations. Under Section 10-718(1), a notice of violation may be issued by police officers, Department inspectors, Licenses and Inspections staff, or authorized third-party administrators, and because Section 10-720 is not among the handful of sections carved out for a different stipulated amount (handbill violations pay $100, litter and dumpster violations pay $150, dumping allows no stipulated payment at all), a snow-removal notice defaults to the general $50 stipulated payment. A property owner who contests the notice and loses, or who is prosecuted directly, instead faces the Chapter's general penalty under Section 10-719(1): a fine of $1,000 for each violation, since Section 10-720 is not among the sections excepted from that general fine.