Winter Sidewalk Maintenance Bylaw

158_9. Snow removal on streets and sidewalks [Added 10_7_2002 OTM by Art. 3, approved 12_30_2002]

A. The tenant or occupant, and in case there is no tenant or occupant, the owner or any other person having the care of any building or lot of land which is used for non_residential purposes abutting upon any street or public place within the town where there is a sidewalk, shall exert reasonable effort to keep the sidewalk free of snow and ice. If the sidewalk becomes covered with ice that cannot be readily removed,

B. The owner, or any other person having the care of any non_residential building abutting upon or any part of which stands within fifteen (15) feet of the line of any street, the roof of which building pitches or slopes toward the street or sidewalk, shall fit or provide such roof with snow barriers or guards sufficient to prevent the sliding of snow and ice from such building onto any part of the street or sidewalk.

C. No person shall lay, throw or place or cause to be placed any snow or ice on any portion of any street or sidewalk within the town, which has been cleared or plowed for travel. No snow shall be plowed across any public way by any private plow to deposit snow from one property to another. No snow shall be deposited in such a way as to obstruct the operation of any fire hydrant, including Fire Department connections to buildings, cisterns and dry hydrants. This provision shall be in addition to the provisions of ~ 158_6.

D. This bylaw shall be enforceable through the non_criminal disposition provided for in ~ 1_5. The penalty for violation shall be: first offense: warning, second offense: $50.00, third offense: $100.00. Each day or portion thereof during which a violation continues shall constitute a separate offense. The North Reading Police Department shall be authorized to enforce this bylaw.

E. To the extent that any particular provision of this bylaw is determined to be invalid, such invalidation shall not affect the validity of any other provision.