Showing ordinances that apply to Shelter Island Heights, NY
Shelter Island Heights is an unincorporated community (population 1,601) in Suffolk County, New York. Because Shelter Island Heights is not an incorporated city, it does not have its own municipal code. Instead, Suffolk County ordinances apply directly to properties here. The snow & sidewalk clearing rules below are the ones that govern your area.
Sidewalk snow clearing in Suffolk County is governed by town codes. Brookhaven, Islip, Huntington, and most villages require property owners to clear snow and ice from public sidewalks within 24 hours of snowfall ending. Incorporated villages often have shorter windows.
Brookhaven Town Code Section 73-2 requires owners/occupants to remove snow within 24 hours of storm cessation. Huntington Town Code 156-19 and Village of Northport require 12-24 hours. Village of Port Jefferson requires clearing by noon following a storm. Failure to clear can result in town/village hiring a contractor with cost lien. New York General Municipal Law 205 creates potential liability for owners who negligently clear sidewalks (snow removal as voluntary undertaking doctrine). Handicap accessible paths to fire hydrants and curb cuts must also be cleared. Suffolk County government maintains county road shoulders but not sidewalks adjacent to private property.
Failure to clear: 50-250 dollars per day. Plus town contractor cost if abated. Civil liability for falls if cleared negligently (icy patches made worse).
See how Shelter Island Heights's snow & sidewalk clearing rules stack up against other locations.
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