Mpls. Residents Warned City Wants Sidewalks Cleared Faster

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Snow may become even more of a hassle for anyone owning property in Minneapolis.

According to city officials, Minneapolis is aiming to clear sidewalks across the city quicker in 2015.

Current Minneapolis ordinance requires property owners to clear sidewalks up to 24 hours after for houses and duplexes, and four daytime hours for all other properties.

If the city gets notice that a sidewalk is not cleared, Public Works sends a warning letter to give the property owner a chance to clear it. If it is still not cleared, the city will come to clear it and bill the owner for the expense.

According to city officials, this process will remain the same but crews will be responding in half the time it has taken in the past. This means that once a property owner receives a letter there will be a shorter amount of time to clean the sidewalk up before the city cleans it, and before receiving a bill from Public Works.

All unpaid bills will be added to the owner's property tax.

The city said this is in attempt to get the sidewalks clean in a shorter time, as they are an important part of Minneapolis transportation.

The city will also be making an effort to clear sidewalk corners faster. Minneapolis officials will designate "pedestrian priority corridors," which they define as major streets and intersections, and clear those corners first.

The city defines clear as shoveling sidewalks "on all sides of your property, the full width of the sidewalk down to the bare pavement" and removing all ice.

For more information on clearing requirements, visit the city of Minneapolis online. To report a sidewalk that is not shoveled, file a complaint online, call 311 or use the 311 app.