Code of Ordinances, City of Northampton

Section 19-19:

Placing Snow and Ice on Streets or Sidewalks Prohibited; Removal Required; Removal by City When Violation Occurs.

a. No owner, tenant, occupant or person having the care of an estate which adjoins a highway upon which there is, on the same side, a hard surfaced walk (hereinafter referred to as a sidewalk), shall place any ice or snow upon such sidewalk, nor suffer any snow to remain upon such sidewalk for more than twenty-four (24) hours after the storm during which it falls or is formed ceases, nor suffer any ice or remain on such sidewalk unless such is made even and covered with sand to prevent slipping. Sidewalks which are subject to this ordinance shall be cleared of any ice or snow to their full width.

b. No person shall place, deposit or move ice or snow onto the paved surface of a street, or onto a gravel shoulder area, if any.

c. Any person who violates Subsection a. or b. of this Section shall have a complaint filed against him in the District Court of Northampton and, if found guilty, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding Fifty Dollars ($50.00). Each twenty-four hours period a violation of Subsection a. or b. exists shall be considered to constitute a separate offense.

d. If in the opinion of the City Engineer, a violation of Subsection a. or b. constitutes a hazard to persons using such sidewalks or street, the City Engineer shall cause the snow or ice to be removed and the violator shall be liable for the cost incurred by the City. Any action taken by the City under this Subsection shall not absolve the individual responsible for the clearing of a sidewalk from the provisions of Subsection c. (Ord. of 2-18-71; Ord. of 3-1-79, Sec. 1) State law reference: M. G. L. Ch. 40, §21(3); Ch. 85, §