Shoreline, WA Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)

Chapter 12.05 SMC defines "maintenance" to include "the removal and disposal of debris, litter, vegetation, snow and ice from sidewalks," and § 12.05.020(A) makes that maintenance the abutting owner's ongoing duty rather than a one-time obligation triggered by a storm. The code sets no fixed hourly clearing deadline; instead the standard is continuous, so a sidewalk left icy for any length of time can be found in violation. If the hazard was not created by the owner or occupier, § 12.05.030(A) requires written notice to the city manager describing its nature and location within 48 hours of discovery, which helps establish the owner did not cause the condition.

Where the city council decides a sidewalk needs repair for public convenience or safety, § 12.05.040 lets it order the work under Chapter 35.68 RCW local improvement district procedures, with the cost borne by the abutting property. Before any council resolution ordering abatement, the owner is entitled to at least 10 days' notice by mail or, if no address is on record, by posting and newspaper publication.