South Bend, IN Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)

Sec. 18-7(a) puts the clearing duty on 'the property owner or the occupant of any building abutting or adjacent to any public sidewalk bordering such property,' who must remove any snow and/or ice that accumulates on or obstructs the sidewalk to its full paved width within 24 hours after the snow or ice falls or accumulates. Subsection (b) gives the city a backstop: once an owner or occupant has already been cited for failing to clear a sidewalk, the city may determine the area needs immediate attention and remove the snow or ice itself, billing the owner or occupant for the cost.

If that invoice isn't paid within 30 days, the outstanding balance accrues interest at 10 percent per year, and if it remains unpaid after 60 days the City Attorney's Office is directed to pursue legal collection, with the Ordinance Violations Bureau tracking those referrals. Sec. 18-8 carves out a hardship exception to the 24-hour rule for owners or occupants who hold a Board of Public Works mobility handicapped parking permit under Chapter 20, Article 9, or who provide written disability verification from the Social Security Administration or the State Medicaid Eligibility Office; the Board coordinates with the Community Campus Advisory Coalition on a volunteer student removal program for those qualifying addresses once it becomes active.

Enforcement of Sec. 18-7 runs through Sec. 18-12, which authorizes the Police Department, the Department of Code Enforcement, and other officials designated by the Board of Public Safety to issue citations.