Just like city-dwellers, suburbanites are expected to sweep or shovel sidewalks within 24 hours of a snowstorm. But enforcement is tougher in the 'burbs than the city, where the cold bites harder than Pittsburgh Public Works.
In many communities, public works officials warn and cite residents who don't clear snow and ice from sidewalks in front of their property in a timely fashion. Simply put, no one is exempt from doing their civic duty.
"I do it because I have to, but also to be a good neighbor," said Vincent Donofrio, 61, of Bloomfield, who used a broom to clear his sidewalk this week. "Sometimes we have to do things we don't really want to do. I certainly don't want to be out here in the cold, but I wouldn't want someone to slip and fall, either."
Within the city limits, public works employees warn but don't fine residents and business owners -- and the warnings aren't given until after 48 hours have passed.
That's because Pittsburgh officials worry more about clearing roads than sidewalks, said Public Works Director Guy Costa. His employees typically wait 48 hours to issue warnings, because it takes about 36 hours to clear the roads.
"Most people clear their sidewalks after a snowfall. There are others that need to be reminded," Costa said. "We try to educate, warn and then fine."
City public works employees last year issued more than 300 warnings but no fines to residents and business owners for not clearing sidewalks, and about 100 this month, Costa said.
In many surrounding towns, municipal officials expect snow removal from sidewalks within 24 hours, as city ordinances require. In Mt. Lebanon, police generally issue "a dozen or two" citations each winter, said Susan Morgans, spokeswoman for the municipality. For every citation, police issue 25 to 30 warnings, she said. Fines range from $5 to $300.
She said residents who can't clear walks can hire a contractor the municipality uses, for a per-linear-foot fee. That costs a minimum of $46.81 per snowstorm, but if someone can't afford to pay, volunteers from the high school often help out, Morgans said.
In Penn Hills and Monroeville, expect a municipal official to knock on your door if you miss the 24-hour window. Those towns issue fines up to $300 to people who don't clear walks. Yet, most people cooperate, and reminders about the policy are needed only occasionally, said Monroeville Manager Marshall Bond.
Meeting a 24-hour deadline can be tricky with off-and-on snowfall. Spending the time to clean a sidewalk can be frustrating if "half an hour later, it's covered again," Bond said. "It's difficult to gauge when to do it."
Property owners can be held legally responsible if someone slips and falls on a snow- or ice-covered walk, said Mark Milsop, a personal injury attorney with Berger and Green in Shadyside.
"Regardless of whether they're cited or warned, if someone falls on the sidewalk, they still have a claim if the property owner did not shovel within a reasonable amount of time," Milsop said.
