Community Corner

You Ask...Patch Answers: Who is Supposed to Shovel the Sidewalk?

We were curious about the town's rules related to sidewalk-shoveling after a snowstorm.

Patch readers have asked us the following question: "Who is responsible for clearing the sidewalks in town after a snowstorm?"

The answer: According to Norwood DPW Director Mark Ryan, "Massachusetts General Law Chapter 40 Section 21 allows cities and towns to adopt ordinances that require property owners to keep the sidewalk in front of their house free of snow and ice. Norwood does not have an ordinance that stringent.

We do have an ordinance in the Town Bylaws, Article XII, Section 26, which requires any business or commercial enterprise to clear snow from the sidewalk in front of their property within 6 hours of daylight after any snow has ceased to fall. Residents are exempt. However, I do not believe it is ever enforced.

Public Works does clear snow from 31 miles of sidewalks in Town. These sidewalk routes were established by a joint effort with the Public Works, Police Department and School Department. It generally focuses on areas around schools, Norwood Center and Washington Street through South Norwood. While having Public Works plow all sidewalks may sound ideal, manpower and financial restraints prohibit that from occurring."


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