Shovel This: Belmont Seeks Sidewalk Snow Removal Ordinance

Belmont Selectman Ralph Jones hopes that the third time is a charm.

For the third time in the past decade, April's Belmont Town Meeting will vote on an article that, if passed by the 290 representatives, will require homeowners to shovel the sidewalk outside their dwelling after any measurable snowfall.

"It's about public safety. It's not punitive in any sense," Jones told Belmont Patch after Wednesday night's Warrant Committee meeting, March 27. 

Despite the public safety issues the bylaw will address and the adoption of snow removal ordinances in surrounding municipalities (including Cambridge), two previous attempts at a bylaw were easily defeated in the "Town of Homes." 

The proposed addition to the town's bylaws would require a residential property owner to shovel snow from any paved sidewalk that borders their building within 12 hours after the final snowflake falls or be subject to a possible fine.

In addition, the sidewalk will need to be treated so ice won't form.

The new bylaw language is also a bit specific on what shoveling means: "Snow and ice shall be removed from all portions of sidewalks to a width of 48 inches." That would be four feet across, the height of an average kindergartner.

The article targets residential property owners as opposed to occupants such as renters. 

The article will be presented to Town Meeting by Belmont Public Works Director Peter Castanino, whose department, along with any police officer, will act as the enforcement agency. 

Snow scofflaws will be handed a written notice for a yet-to-be determined amount for each offense. And don't think about ignoring the new bylaw: each day or part of a day will constitute a separate offense. 

There is some unfinished business that the bylaw change does not answer, specifically the actual dollar amount the non-compliant will need to folk over to Town Treasurer Floyd Carman or which groups – such as the elderly or disabled – will be exempt from the requirement. 

After some debate at the Bylaw Review Committee, it was decided that the penalty and exemptions will be adopted by the Selectmen after a public meeting. 

For Jones, the addition of residential snow shoveling to the town's bylaw is not about punishing homeowners but rather educational for all residents.

"This is not about punishing [homeowners] but for the town to have a policy that increases the safety for everyone," said Jones, who points the town's existing snow removal requirement for commercial properties as a successful use of such laws.