Amy
40.6 inches of snow and December isn’t even over yet! We are definitely on our way to another record setting year of snow.
I thought this might be a good time to review the City of Madison’s snow removal policy. Per the City of Madison Website, Madison City Ordinance 10.28 requires that sidewalks be cleared of all snow and ice not later than 12:00 noon of the day following each snowfall. Days end and begin at 12:00 midnight. An example would be: Snow starts to fall on Monday morning. The snow stops at 11:59 p.m. on Monday night. The sidewalk would have to cleared by 12:00 noon on Tuesday. If the same snow continued until Tuesday morning at 12:00 midnight, the sidewalk would have to be cleared by 12:00 noon on Wednesday.
When public walks are found in violation, the property owner is issued a citation with an initial fine of $109.00. All subsequent violations at the property during the current snow season will result in a $172.00 fine. After a City inspector photographs a sidewalk in violation and cites the property, the owner has until 8:00 a.m. the following morning to remove the hazard. Failure to do so will cause the City crews to do the work with costs assessed the property. There are no warnings given for this ordinance violation. To make a complaint, call the Building Inspection Unit between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 266-4551. If you have questions about snow removal ordinances, policies, or procedures, call a property maintenance inspector at 267-4997.
The inspectors are looking for reasonably safe conditions. In cases where ice has formed on the public sidewalk and cannot be removed, the property owner must use sand or salt to effectively eliminate dangerous conditions. The City provides a mixture of sand and salt for public use at the following locations:
EAST SIDE:
Demetral Park (parking lot off Sixth St)
Warner Park (Sherman Ave by shelter)
Monona Golf Course (parking Lot)
Olbrich Gardens (by Walter St)
Reindahl Park (off Portage St)
School Rd Oil Site (Wheeler Rd and School)
Tenney Park Beach House
WEST SIDE:
Glenway Golf Course (off Speedway)
South Point Yard Waste (402 South Point Rd)
Brittingham Park Parking Lot (Entrance Off W Washington)
Spring Harbor Parking Lot (Norman Way)
Elver Park (off McKenna Blvd)
Garner Park (Mineral Point Rd & Rosa Rd)
Senior adults who live in their own homes (not an apartment or rental unit) can contact any of the four senior coalitions (listed below) to request to be placed on the 72 hour snow list. This allows 72 hours to clear the sidewalks without receiving a citation. Each of the coalitions also have volunteers available who love to help senior adults with the snow shoveling.
North/Eastside Senior Coalition – 243-5252
East Madison/Monona Coalition of the Aging – 223-3100
South Madison Coalition of the Elderly – 251-8405
West Madison Senior Coalition – 238-7368
