Rapid City, SD Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)
Key Facts
- Duty holder
- Owner/occupant abutting the sidewalk
- Standard
- Free of snow/ice at all times
- Frozen ice
- Must sand/spread material
- Enforcement
- Code Enforcement or Building Services
- Cost recovery
- Special assessment, § 8.16.030
- Related rule
- No dumping snow on public property, § 12.12.100
Summary
Rapid City property owners must keep abutting sidewalks free of snow and ice at all times, not by a fixed hourly deadline. An unshoveled walk is declared a nuisance that Code Enforcement or Building Services can abate, billing the cost to the property through a special assessment.
It shall be the duty of the owner or person in possession or in charge of any lot, parcel or plot of ground fronting or abutting upon any sidewalk to keep the sidewalk free from snow and ice at all times. When it is impossible to take the snow and ice from the walk by reason of its being frozen to the sidewalk the owner or occupant shall sprinkle or spread some suitable material upon the same to prevent the walk from becoming slippery and dangerous to travel. Sidewalks that are not kept free from snow and ice are declared a nuisance ... Code Enforcement or Building Services is authorized and empowered to cause such work as may be necessary to provide for compliance, and may defray the cost of abating the nuisance ... by special assessment against the real property on which the nuisance occurred in accordance with § 8.16.030. In addition to the abatement remedies provided in this section, any person violating this section shall be subject to the general penalty provision as set forth in § 1.12.010 of the Code.
Full Breakdown
Rapid City Municipal Code § 12.12.090 puts the duty on 'the owner or person in possession or in charge of any lot, parcel or plot of ground fronting or abutting upon any sidewalk' to keep it free from snow and ice at all times, not on a specific number of hours after a snowfall. Where ice is frozen to the walk and cannot be removed, the owner or occupant must spread a suitable material so the walk is not slippery. A sidewalk left uncleared is 'declared a nuisance,' and Code Enforcement or Building Services is authorized to do the work needed to bring it into compliance. The city can then recover its cost, including administrative costs, by a special assessment against the property under § 8.16.030's nuisance-abatement procedure. Separately, § 12.12.100 makes it unlawful to pile snow removed from private property onto a public sidewalk, street, or other public property without written consent of the Director of Public Works.
Violations & Fines
Any person violating § 12.12.090 is subject to the general penalty provision at § 1.12.010, on top of the city's right to abate the nuisance directly and bill the cost, including administrative costs, back to the property as a special assessment under § 8.16.030. Dumping removed snow onto public property without Public Works' written consent is a separate violation under § 12.12.100, also enforced through the § 1.12.010 general penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many hours do I have to clear snow from my Rapid City sidewalk?
What happens if I never shovel my sidewalk in Rapid City?
Can I pile my driveway snow on the public sidewalk in Rapid City?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rapid City
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