With recent heavy storms, you've probably needed to shift a lot of snow off your driveways and paths. But not every neighbor sees eye to eye about how to responsibly manage snow. Some neighbors won't stick to the social contract and shovel their part of the sidewalk, or dump their snow where it shouldn't belong.
Some even expect you to do all their shoveling for them. In the worst cases, these arguments can even become litigious. I spoke to attorneys about the rules and regulations around shoveling snow .
It varies a lot from city to city, but the golden rule is to clear your driveways, paths, and sidewalks next to your home. 1. Know city ordinances - you may not have to shovel at all The first thing to know is that snow shoveling is usually governed by city ordinances.
Attorney Ben Michael says 'On the federal and state level, there aren’t laws that clearly define who is responsible for shoveling where. You have to look into your own city ordinances, and those can vary from one city to the next.' This means that responsibilities can vary from place to place.
Ben says 'The biggest question people often have is with any public walkways in front of or next to their property. Sometimes, city ordinances outline that these walkways are not the responsibility of the homeowner and that local municipalities are the ones responsible. In other cases, cities place the responsibility on the homeowner.
' For example, in Iowa City, residents have to remove snow from sidewalks in front of .
