NEWS

Who’s responsible for shoveling the sidewalks?

Anna Rumer
arumer@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com

ZANESVILLE – Failing to shovel your sidewalk is illegal, but don’t expect the city to enforce the ordinance any time soon.

In 1993, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled the state can’t require homeowners to shovel their sidewalks, but the ruling does allow municipal ordinances to require it — which Zanesville does.

According to the local ordinance, failing to shovel the sidewalk of one’s property is a minor misdemeanor punishable by up to $150 in fines, but in the years Public Safety Director Fred Buck has been in the city, he can’t remember it ever being enforced.

In a city of more than 25,000 people and countless businesses, handing out tickets to anyone who’s stingy with a shovel is impractical.

“A lot of people aren’t able to (shovel), and with today’s constraints, we really can’t expect people to hold to that,” he said. “As far as going around to individual homeowners, we could never enforce it. We don’t have enough people.”

However, just because it can’t be enforced doesn’t mean the shoveling shouldn’t be done, he said.

Buck is concerned with the children who walk to school without the guarantee of clear sidewalks and the emergency responders who can often be delayed for precious seconds by snowy walkways.

“With the school kids having to get to school, that probably worries me more than anything,” he said. “A lot of times you see people out walking in the streets. ... You’re putting them at risk to be hit by a car.”

He’s also concerned with the health of homeowners, especially those who are elderly or disabled. While in an ideal world, neighbors or good Samaritans would care for the sidewalks of people who are unable to do so themselves, that’s often not the case, and Buck doesn’t want to put someone in danger who shouldn’t be out in the cold.

“There’s people that can’t do that, and we realize that there are health concerns,” he said. “I don’t want someone to go out and have a heart attack because they feel they’ll be taken to jail.”

Health concerns struck a chord with some locals.

“I could see this law years ago. But today, people don’t use the sidewalks like they used to,” Rick Hildebrand wrote on Facebook. “I think it would be tough to ask elderly people to be responsible for clearing their sidewalks for people that don’t use them much anymore.”

Others said they felt the city shouldn’t be involved legally with their property maintenance at all.

“If it’s a public sidewalk then the city should clean it, if it’s a private walk then I’ll clean it when I get around to it,” commented Ken Williams.

In lieu of the workforce to mandate clean sidewalks, Buck said he simply tries to clear as much of the city’s walkways as possible while offering tips and tricks to property owners.

He advised residents: “Don’t wait for all the snow to fall. ... Do a little at a time,” or “Make sure to walk facing traffic, but try not to walk in the road if you don’t have to.”

As for people who do suffer the consequences of an icy path, the city wipes its hands of responsibility.

“We’ve had people fall and contact the city about what to do, and what you have to do at that point is just contact the landowner.” Buck said. “That’s their responsibility.”

arumer@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com

740-450-6758

Twitter: @AnnaRumerZTR