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NYC Sidewalks Must Be Shoveled By 1 PM Wednesday, Sanitation Department Warns

Jen Chung

Published Feb 3, 2021

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A cleared sidewalk on a street of brownstones

Jake Dobkin / Gothamist

Jen Chung

Published Feb 3, 2021

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Sure, 17.4 inches of snow has fallen since Sunday, but now the Department of Sanitation has declared an "end of storm"— which means all business and property owners must shovel their sidewalks by 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

The Department of Sanitation explained, "Snow and ice on a sidewalk can severely injure pedestrians. According to the NYC Administrative Code, every owner, lessee, tenant, occupant or other person having charge of any lot or building must clean snow and ice from the sidewalks adjacent to their properties."

Also, know this: DO NOT push snow into the street or bike lane! It MAY be placed against buildings, against curb lines, or on private property, but remember to clear pedestrian ramps and paths to crosswalks. There are potential fines of $150-250 for properties bordering sidewalks that remain uncleared.

In other important "end of storm" notes:

Trash collection resumes on Thursday, February 4th, so folks who have Thursday trash collection can put their garbage at the curb starting at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. However, the Sanitation Department cautions that there may be some "residual delays" as they catch up from not being able to collect garbage for a few days.
- Which means holding your recycling material if you can, unless you need to place it on the curb. It's unclear when recycling collection will resume, but they hope soon.
Emergency snow laborers are working to clear snow and ice from crosswalks, bus stops, and some bike lanes, and they will continue the work through Thursday.
There are some snow melters helping to remove snow—apparently they can melt up to 60-120 tons of snow per hour (or 240 gallons per minute), and then the melted snow is filtered and drained through approved sewers.
While salt spreaders and snow plows are still out and about, you can call 311 to report areas that need more plowing and salting. The DSNY does note that some local streets that have been plowed and salted may not have "black tops."

Need more information about your snow responsibilities? There's a website for that!

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department of sanitation

blizzard 2021

snow

Jen Chung

Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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