Are You Legally Required to Shovel Your Sidewalks in Montrose Colorado?

By mid-January in Colorado, we're usually already deep within the throws of the winter season. While winters haven't been especially harsh for those of us on the Western Slope for the past few years, I've been here since 2016 and have yet to experience a year without at least one major winter snowstorm. Nothing that's overly dangerous, like the storm that struck the eastern US last month, but enough snow that you're definitely shoveling the driveway in the morning.

If you have a sidewalk in front of your home on a day that we get one of these types of snowstorms, you undoubtedly question whether you'll clear the sidewalk while you're clearing the rest of the snow from your property. Obviously, it's mighty neighborly to do so, you think to yourself, but if you want to get really technical, the sidewalk is city property. Shouldn't that be the city's responsibility?

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You May Not Think It's Your Problem, but It Is

Unfortunately, for those of us who try to do as little physical labor as possible, it is indeed your responsibility to keep the sidewalks clean in front of your home. Per city ordinance, residents and businesses are required to clear adjacent sidewalks for pedestrians. Failing to do so can land you classified as a "Public Nuisance," subject to municipal abatement.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather not be known as a public nuisance. At least, not known that way for refusing to shovel snow; Obviously, I have a local radio show, so plenty of people around town already feel that way. So, don't be a nuisance, and make sure to shovel your sidewalk the next time it snows!