Stratford, CT Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)

Two clocks run on a Stratford sidewalk after snow or ice. Under § 186-53, all accumulations of rubbish, snow, ice or sleet upon any public sidewalk must be removed within 24 hours of the accumulation by the person who owns or is in possession of the premises upon which or adjacent to which the sidewalk is located. The duty sits with the owner or occupant in possession, not with the Town.

The second clock is a 12-hour clock tied to notice. If the Mayor or the Police Department gives notice and the person neglects or refuses, within 12 hours, to remove the rubbish, snow, ice or sleet, a fine follows (§ 186-52). Where the snow, ice or sleet cannot be removed by reasonable effort, the person must properly sand or cinder it instead. The fines climb within a twelve-month period: $25 for the first offense, $50 for the second, and $100 for each subsequent offense.

The Town has a fallback under § 186-54. It has the right to remove, sand or cinder any accumulation on a public sidewalk itself, and when a person fails to act as § 186-53 requires, the cost is a debt to the Town and the person is liable to the Town for the cost of removal.

Civil exposure is separate. Under § 186-68, the owner or person in possession and control of abutting land has the same duty of care for ice and snow on the abutting portion of the sidewalk that the Town had before Article VII took effect, and is liable to injured people where a breach is the proximate cause of the injury. Under § 186-67, the Town is not liable for ice or snow on a public sidewalk unless it is the owner or person in possession and control of the abutting land, other than land used as a highway or street, though it stays liable for its affirmative acts.

One more prohibition applies to anyone shoveling: under § 203-7(E), no person shall cause snow or ice to be deposited by him on any public street or sidewalk within the Town of Stratford.