Reminder: You've got 24 hours to clear your sidewalk before you're fined

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 — though a first-time offence can carry a fine as high as $250.

Repeat offenders will see a $500 fine on second offence and a $750 fine on third offence, and each one after within a 12-month period.

• See also: 
  • Here’s how the City of Calgary’s 7-day snow clearing plan works
  • Here’s how to get someone else to shovel your snow for you in Calgary

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 where:

(a) Such sidewalk or pathway runs parallel to and directly adjacent to a street

(b) Such sidewalk or pathway runs parallel to and adjacent to a street, where the pathway or sidewalk and street are separated only by a grassed or otherwise covered boulevard

… 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 a few hundred dollars; a hefty price to pay to get out of a few minutes of work.

It should also be noted that anyone who paid the big bucks to get themselves a piece of motorized snow clearing equipment will be able to use it at any time within 48-hours after snowfall ends — with no worries about noise complaints during that grace period.

Of course, there are people who are incapable of doing the shoveling 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.

There are also a handful of companies that will take care of that fresh snow for you on either a one-time or monthly basis.

If you do notice a portion of the 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!