$100 Tickets Issued for Snow-Covered Sidewalks

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UPPER MARLBORO, MD — Prince George’s County officials are cracking down on residents and business owners who have not cleared snow and ice from their sidewalks.

The county began enforcing its snow removal laws on Thursday for business properties and will take action starting Friday, January 29, for residents. County school officials said late Wednesday that they are nearly ready to resume classes, but need sidewalks to be cleared to ensure students may safely walk to school.

»SEE ALSO: Residents Must Clear Sidewalks for Schools to Reopen

County code requires the responsible parties to treat and remove accumulated snow and ice from abutting sidewalks within 48 hours after snow has fallen or ice has accumulated to a depth of 2 or more inches.

Since the county received two feet of snow in last weekend’s storm, officials had eased enforcement of the law to focus on snow removal from roads and gave residents and businesses three extra days to shovel out from the record snowfall.

Enforcing the law with commercial establishments has begun by issuing citations if they have not cleared the abutting sidewalks. Residents will begin to receive citations Friday if they have not begun to clear sidewalks abutting their properties, especially those on school routes or other high-traffic areas listed below.

Citations carry a fine of $100, and additional tickets will be issued for each 24-hour period that the sidewalks are not cleared. Fines will accumulate with each citation.

Areas of primary focus include sidewalks:

• Adjacent to commercial establishments and apartment complexes
• Along roadways within 1.5 miles of a school
• Along State designated highways
• Along County primary roadways
• Abutting major public gathering places — like churches, assembly halls, etc.

In some cases, plows moving snow may block driveways. Residents are reminded that the county does not remove snow that blocks driveway entrances.

Questions about the regulation or enforcement should be directed to the County Call Center at 3-1-1 or go to www.countyclick311.com to report a sidewalk shoveling violation.