Rochester Hills, MI Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)

Section 94-141 of the Code of Ordinances makes the adjoining property owner or occupant responsible for keeping the sidewalk in front of their lot maintained, and subsection (3) sets the snow and ice deadline: if snow or ice stops falling or forming during daylight hours, it must be cleared from the sidewalk within 48 hours of that cessation; if it stops overnight, the 48-hour clock runs from sunrise instead. The same section also requires sidewalks to stay free of debris and rubbish, and it sets clearance standards for tree limbs and shrubs encroaching from adjacent property, eight feet vertical and one foot horizontal for a standard sidewalk.

The Property Maintenance Code carries a parallel deadline at Section 302.3.1, using the identical 48-hour windows for daytime and overnight snowfall, so a property owner is on notice from two directions in the same code. Under Section 94-144, any violation of the sidewalk maintenance article, including a missed snow-removal deadline, is a municipal civil infraction, and the Department of Public Service determines when a sidewalk is out of compliance and issues the written notice that starts related repair obligations elsewhere in the same article.