Springfield, IL Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)
Key Facts
- Deadline
- 10:00 a.m. every morning after snowfall
- Who's responsible
- Owner, occupant, or person in control
- Frozen ice option
- Spread ashes, sand, or sawdust instead
- Penalty
- $25-$500 general penalty, § 10.99
- Daily violation
- Each day counted as separate offense
Summary
Springfield property owners and occupants must clear the sidewalk in front of their premises by 10:00 a.m. every morning after a snowfall, under City Code § 99.03. If the snow and ice have frozen too hard to remove without damaging the pavement, spreading ashes, sand, or sawdust satisfies the duty instead. There's no separate fine written into this section, so violations default to the citywide $25-$500 general penalty.
Every owner or occupant of any premises, and every person having the charge or control thereof shall, during the winter season, whenever there is a fall of snow, and by 10:00 a.m. on every morning thereafter, clear the sidewalks in front of or adjoining such premises, from snow and ice, and keep the same conveniently free therefrom, or shall, in case the snow and ice are so congealed as not to be removed without difficulty or injury to the pavement, strew the same with ashes, sand, or sawdust.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 82).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 99, Article I of the Springfield code puts snow and ice removal squarely on the property owner or occupant, not the city. on each morning following a snowfall, and keep it conveniently clear afterward. Where the snow and ice have frozen hard enough that removing it risks damaging the sidewalk pavement, the section allows spreading ashes, sand, or sawdust across the ice instead of scraping it away. The city derives this authority from state law: 65 ILCS 5/11-13 gives municipalities power to provide for cleaning of streets, which the ordinance's footnote cites directly.
99: a fine of $25 to $500, with each day a violation continues treated as a separate offense. 07, which bars letting roof runoff spread over the sidewalk. Because the section names 'owner or occupant,' both a landlord and a tenant in possession can be held responsible for an uncleared walk, and the office of public works is the department that fields complaints under the city's general enforcement provisions.
Violations & Fines
Section 99.03 doesn't set its own fine, so an uncleared sidewalk after the 10:00 a.m. deadline is enforced under § 10.99, Springfield's general penalty: a fine of not less than $25 nor more than $500, with every day the snow or ice remains counted as a separate violation. An owner who lets a sidewalk stay dangerously icy can also face liability for injuries under the related nuisance provision, § 99.06.
Frequently Asked Questions
By what time must I clear snow from my Springfield sidewalk?
What if the ice is frozen too hard to remove?
What's the fine for not clearing snow off a Springfield sidewalk?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Springfield
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