Clearing ice and snow from the sidewalk in front of/adjacent to your home, private property or business helps keep neighbours and communities safer for everyone when it snows.
If snowfall accumulation is 2 cm or less in depth, it is up to residents and businesses to clear their sidewalks of snow and ice within 12 hours of the end of a snowfall.
Property owners are responsible for clearing ice and snow from private property – including driveways, parking spaces, steps, ramps and landings – within 24 hours after snowfall ends to provide safe access for people and vehicles.
The set fine for not clearing snow from public and private property is $500 plus $115 surcharge, total of $615. You can contact 311 to report a property owner who did not clear their sidewalk or private property.
Please be a good neighbour and help clear sidewalks for senior or disabled persons nearby.
Where safe to do so, residents are asked to clear catch basins (the square grates on the road) in front of or near their homes of ice, snow and debris to help prevent surface flooding and allow water to drain off the road.
City crews start clearing all public sidewalks when the snow is 2 cm deep and the snow has stopped falling, or when icy conditions dictate.
Sidewalks with high pedestrian volume (arterial roads, school zones, transit areas and accessibility locations) are cleared first.
Sidewalk clearing after a snowfall takes approximately 13 hours to complete and, depending on the storm severity, may occur more than once. Sidewalk clearing can continue up to 72 hours after the snow has stopped falling.
91% of all sidewalks in Toronto receive mechanical sidewalk snow clearing. Due to sidewalk obstructions and narrow spaces, the remaining 9% of sidewalks are manually cleared by workers.
Toronto is the third major winter city in North America to employ a city-wide sidewalk snow clearing program, along with Montreal and Ottawa.