Apple Valley, MN Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Sidewalk snow and ice
- Remove within 48 hours after precipitation stops
- Street and sidewalk obstructions
- Public nuisance unless code or law permits (§ 94.17(F))
- Barbed wire fences
- Nuisance under six feet high and within three feet of a sidewalk
- Abatement deadline
- Five days from mailed city notice
- Cost recovery
- Personal liability, then special assessment
Summary
In the City of Apple Valley, Minnesota, § 94.17 declares obstructions and excavations affecting public use of streets, alleys and sidewalks a public nuisance unless the code or other law permits them. Dirt, rubbish, garbage and dangerous limbs or wires are covered, and snow and ice must come off public sidewalks within 48 hours.
The following are declared to be public nuisances affecting public peace and safety: (A) All snow and ice not removed from public sidewalks within 48 hours after the snow or other precipitation causing the condition has ceased to fall as required in this code; ... (C) All wires and limbs of trees which are so close to the surface of a sidewalk or street as to constitute a danger to pedestrians or vehicles; ... (F) Obstructions and excavations affecting the ordinary public use of streets, alleys, sidewalks or public grounds except under conditions as are permitted by this code or other applicable law; ... (Q) The placing, throwing or depositing on any street, sidewalk or other public property, any dirt, rubbish or other material; (R) The depositing of garbage or refuse on a public right-of-way or on adjacent private property;
Full Breakdown
Apple Valley Code of Ordinances § 94.17 declares a list of conditions public nuisances affecting public peace and safety. The core sidewalk provision is division (F): obstructions and excavations affecting the ordinary public use of streets, alleys, sidewalks or public grounds, except under conditions permitted by the code or other applicable law. A permitted excavation or a permit-authorized use is outside it; anything else that blocks the walk is a nuisance.
Several other divisions reach specific obstructions. Division (A) covers all snow and ice not removed from public sidewalks within 48 hours after the snow or other precipitation causing the condition has ceased to fall. Division (C) covers wires and limbs of trees so close to the surface of a sidewalk or street as to endanger pedestrians or vehicles. Division (Q) covers placing, throwing or depositing dirt, rubbish or other material on any street, sidewalk or other public property, and division (R) covers depositing garbage or refuse on a public right-of-way or on adjacent private property. Division (K) covers any barbed wire fence less than six feet above the ground and within three feet of a public sidewalk or way, and division (I) covers hanging signs, awnings and similar structures over streets and sidewalks that endanger public safety or are not built and maintained as ordinance requires. Division (J) covers allowing rain water, ice or snow to fall from a building onto a street or sidewalk or flow across a sidewalk.
Enforcement runs through § 94.01. The owner or occupant must abate the nuisance within five days of the city's mailed notice. If not, the city can perform the current service, and the definition of current service expressly includes snow, ice or rubbish removal from sidewalks. The owner and occupant are personally liable for the cost, and unpaid charges are specially assessed against the property. Section 94.18 allows immediate abatement, with no notice, of a condition posing an imminent and serious hazard to human life or safety.
Violations & Fines
The remedy is abatement. After the city mails notice, the owner or occupant has five days to clear the nuisance under § 94.01(B)(2). Otherwise the city does the work and bills the owner and occupant, with monthly service charges on unpaid balances and a special assessment against the property. Imminent hazards can be abated at once under § 94.18.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast must snow be cleared from public sidewalks in Apple Valley, Minnesota?
Is it a violation to put dirt or rubbish on an Apple Valley sidewalk?
Can trees or wires over an Apple Valley sidewalk be a nuisance?
Can Apple Valley bill me for clearing my sidewalk?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Apple Valley
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