You have 24 hours to clear your sidewalk after a snowfall before you're fined

Snow Shovel / Shutterstock

It’s time to dig the shovel out of that garage and get to work.

According to City of Calgary bylaws, the owners of property adjacent to sidewalks are responsible for clearing those sidewalks within 24 hours after the last snowfall.

If they fail to do so, they may be on the hook for a minimum of $150.

The rule comes from the City of Calgary Street Bylaw section 67, stating that “The owner or occupant of a private parcel of land adjacent to a sidewalk or pathway that runs in front of the property or along the side of the property … shall remove ice and snow from that portion of the sidewalk or pathway adjacent to the parcel so that the sidewalk or pathway is cleared to the bare surface, within 24 hours after the ice and snow has been deposited.”

And if you fail to do your civic duty? Well, depending on how many complaints you get, the City of Calgary will eventually come around to clear it for you – at a minimum flat rate of $150 (plus GST and administration fee); a hefty price to pay to get out of a few minutes of work.

Of course, there are people who are incapable of doing the shovelling themselves, and the city offers a few community-based snow removal programs to help you out if you need it.

You could always just throw the kid down the street a $10 ($20?) bill to clear the sidewalk, your driveway, and your walkway, but we’ll leave those negotiations in your hands.

If you do notice a portion of sidewalk that may not have been cleared in the 24 hours after a snowfall, you can call 3-1-1 to report the property… or do a neighbourly good deed by pulling out that shovel – entirely up to you!

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