Answering Snow Questions During A Harsh Winter
The winter of 2025-2026 has been hard on all of us. Snow and below-freezing temperatures have been ever-present since Thanksgiving with only brief periods of relief.
This article will provide some reminders for our residents, landlords, and business owners about who is responsible for snow removal and the details surrounding snow parking bans.
Who is responsible for removing snow from sidewalks?
The language in Lakewood Codified Ordinance 521.06 reads:
Every owner, occupant or person having charge of any tenement building, lot or land fronting any avenue, street, alley or public highway in the City shall remove and clear away, or cause to be removed or cleared away, snow and ice from a path of at least four feet in width from so much of the sidewalk whether or not flagged or paved as is in front of or abuts such building or lot or land.
In simple terms, homeowners and businesses are responsible for clearing sidewalks in front of their properties. Many of our neighbors rely on sidewalks for commuting, errands, using public transportation.
If you are physically unable to clear the sidewalk in front of your home OR if you would like to volunteer to help others in your neighborhood, reach out to LakewoodAlive to sign up for their volunteer snow removal program.
How is the sidewalk clearing ordinance enforced?
The City's Housing and Building inspectors go out after snowfall events to post notices on the properties that have not cleared their sidewalks. If the sidewalk remains uncleared, these properties could be subject to fines or billed for clearing performed by City staff.
Why do we have snow parking bans?
A snow parking ban is an ordinance that temporarily prohibits parking vehicles on certain streets when snow depth reaches four inches or more. This rule is in place to keep vehicles from getting stuck in snow banks created by plows, and to allow our plows to fully clear the roads.
Map of Emergency Snow Ban streets
We understand that parking in Lakewood can be very limited, and not all homes or apartments have driveways or parking lots for residents' vehicles. During snow bans, affected residents may park for free in municipal parking lots.
Map of Snow Ban Parking Lots
Even on streets that are not part of the snow parking ban, keeping vehicles parked off the road helps to protect your vehicle from damage and allows your street to be cleared more thoroughly.
Find more answers to snow removal questions by clicking the button below.
| 
