City Of Superior Offers Compliance Guidelines For Sidewalk Shoveling

'Tis the season!  Winter weather has finally arrived in the area and Northlanders are struggling to deal with the seemingly never-ending battle with snow.  Whether you're plowing, blowing, or shoveling that snow, each storm brings with it the need to remove it - for safety considerations as well as code compliance ordinance issues.

It's those ordinance issues that have led the City of Superior Code Compliance Department to issue some snow shoveling reminders for residents.  The ordinance isn't new, but a recent post to their social media sites acts as a good chance for everyone to brush-up.

Essentially, the code details that "all property owners are responsible for clearing snow and ice from public sidewalks adjacent to their property". Failure to do so comes with penalties.  "If an owner does not clear the sidewalk, the City of Superior may take action to have the snow removed. The cost of the removal, along with an additional administrative fee, will be charged to the owner of the property".

Here are the tips and guidelines:

• Remove snow from all sidewalks adjacent to your property including the ramps related to crosswalks.
• Push snow into your yard or an adjacent "boulevard".
• Do not push snow into the street, bike lanes, alley entrances, curb ramps, crosswalks, or neighboring properties.
• When clearing driveways, do not block sidewalks with snow.
• If you need to use salt or sand on icy surfaces, use only as much as needed.  When overused, all chloride compounds and excess sediment can be harmful to the environment.  Smart salting practices recommend to scatter with 3-inches between salt grains.
• Clear the sidewalk's full width to allow mobility and access to pedestrians in wheelchairs, people with children in strollers, students walking to school, and individuals with assistive devices.

It's worth remembering that we "are all pedestrians at some point" so the sidewalk and curb areas you're clearing are those same areas that you could potentially be using at some point.  "Without a wide, clear path, snow and ice on the sidewalk make it difficult for everyone - especially people with disabilities, seniors, and children - to move safely".