Pottstown, PA Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- §212, Chapter 21, Streets and Sidewalks
- Deadline
- 12 daylight hours after snow/ice stops
- Minimum path width
- 3 feet (full width if narrower)
- Responsible party
- Owner, or tenant of single-unit rental
- Cost recovery
- Removal cost plus 10% penalty
Summary
Pottstown gives property owners and single-unit tenants 12 hours of daylight after snow stops falling or ice forms to clear the abutting sidewalk under Section 212 of Chapter 21. The cleared path must run the sidewalk's full width if it's three feet or less, or at least three feet wide on wider walks, and the snow can't be pushed into the gutter or street.
The owner of any owner-occupied or vacant or unoccupied property or multiple-unit property, and the tenant of any single-unit property occupied by the tenant, shall, within 12 hours of daylight after any snow has ceased to fall or ice to form, remove from the sidewalk abutting such property all snow and/or ice. In the removal of snow and ice, a path shall be cleared for the full width of the sidewalk, in case of any sidewalk three feet or less in width, and a path at least three feet in width shall be cleared on all sidewalks wider than three feet. The snow and ice removed from the sidewalk shall not be placed in the gutter or in the roadway or any street or alley.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 5012545; v22 updated 2026-07-13; through 07-13-2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 212, adopted by Ordinance 2172 on January 8, 2018, puts the snow and ice removal duty on whoever occupies the property day to day: the owner of any owner-occupied, vacant, unoccupied or multiple-unit property, and the tenant, rather than the owner, of a single-unit rental that the tenant occupies. The clock starts running from "12 hours of daylight" after snow stops falling or ice stops forming, a daylight-hours measure rather than a flat 12 hours from the storm's end, so an overnight snowfall gives the responsible party until roughly noon the following day depending on sunrise.
The cleared path has a minimum width tied to the sidewalk itself: on a sidewalk three feet wide or narrower, the full width must be cleared, and on anything wider than three feet, at least a three-foot path is required, enough for two pedestrians or a wheelchair to pass. The section also forbids piling the cleared snow or ice into the gutter, roadway, street or alley, a rule aimed at keeping storm drains and travel lanes clear rather than just shifting the hazard from sidewalk to street.
If the responsible party fails to clear the walk, Section 212(2) lets a Borough officer or designated employee do the removal, with the cost plus a 10% penalty collected from the owner, occupant or tenant the same way the Borough recovers curbing and paving debts.
Violations & Fines
Failure to clear snow or ice in time lets the Borough remove it and bill the responsible owner, occupant or tenant the cost plus a 10% penalty under Section 212(2), collected the same way as curbing and paving debts. Dumping cleared snow into the gutter or roadway is a separate violation subject to the Part 2 general penalty in Section 215: $5 to $600 plus costs of prosecution.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to shovel my sidewalk in Pottstown after it snows?
How wide does the shoveled path need to be?
What happens if I never clear my sidewalk after a storm?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pottstown
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