Rochester, MN Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)
Key Facts
- Clearance deadline
- 24 hours after snow/ice deposited
- Governing section
- City Code Sec. 9-6-2
- City removal trigger
- 24 hrs after deposit or snowfall ends
- Cost recovery
- Billed to owner, due immediately
- Unpaid bill
- Assessed against property with taxes
- Citation response window
- 10 calendar days to pay/appeal
- Late fee
- 10% per 30-day period unpaid
Summary
Rochester property owners and occupants must clear snow, ice, dirt and rubbish from abutting public sidewalks and pedestrian ramps within 24 hours of it being deposited. Miss the deadline and Public Works can do the work itself and bill the owner, on top of a possible administrative citation.
(a)All snow, ice, dirt and rubbish remaining on a public sidewalk or pedestrian ramp more than 24 hours after its deposit thereon is a public nuisance. The owner and the occupant of any property adjacent to a public sidewalk or pedestrian ramp shall use due diligence to keep such walk safe for pedestrians. No such owner or occupant shall allow snow, ice, dirt or rubbish to remain on the sidewalk or pedestrian ramp longer than 24 hours after its deposit thereon.(b)Any person violating this section may be issued an administrative citation as provided in chapter 1-2.(c)The administrative civil fine provided in this section is in addition to the cost recovery provisions in sections 9-6-7 and 9-6-8.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 8 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
City Code Sec. 9-6-2 makes snow, ice, dirt or rubbish left on a public sidewalk or pedestrian ramp more than 24 hours after it lands a public nuisance. The owner and occupant of the adjacent property must use due diligence to keep the walk safe, and neither may let the material sit past the 24-hour mark. A violation may draw an administrative citation under Chapter 1-2. If the deadline passes, Sec. 9-6-3 lets the director of public works or a designee remove the snow, ice, dirt or rubbish from the sidewalk and pedestrian ramp starting 24 hours after deposit, or after snow has stopped falling, and the department keeps a per-parcel cost record that goes to the city clerk.
Under Sec. 9-6-7, the property owner is personally liable for the greater of the actual removal cost or the service charge the city council sets by resolution; the clerk bills the owner and the amount is due immediately. If the bill goes unpaid, Sec. 9-6-8 lets the council spread it as a special assessment under Minn. 101 or certify it to the Olmsted County auditor for collection with the following year's property taxes, with notice, hearing and appeal rights under Minn. ch. 429. Chapter 1-2 governs the citation process itself: the person cited has ten calendar days to pay the scheduled civil fine or request a hearing before a city-appointed hearing officer, and paying the fine is treated as an admission of the violation.
Violations & Fines
The administrative civil fine under Chapter 1-2 is capped at the maximum fine allowed had the same violation been prosecuted as a misdemeanor, and each day the nuisance continues is a separate offense. A cited owner has ten calendar days to pay or request a hearing; an unpaid civil fine draws a 10 percent late fee for each 30-day period it stays unpaid, becomes a lien on the property, and failure to pay within 30 days of a hearing officer's order is itself a misdemeanor under Sec. 1-2-10.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do Rochester property owners have to clear sidewalk snow?
What happens if I don't clear my sidewalk in time?
How much will the city charge if it clears my sidewalk?
What if I never pay the sidewalk clearing bill?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rochester
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