City issuing notices for failure to shovel walks

Colorado Springs inspectors are on the lookout this winter for people who don't shovel the sidewalks after snowstorms, creating slippery, dangerous conditions for pedestrians.

Inspectors have issued 110 warnings and four final notices to property owners for failing to shovel sidewalks, an official said Tuesday. People who get warnings typically don't know city laws require removing snow from sidewalks 24 hours after the snowflakes stop falling, said Engineering Inspection Supervisor Steve Bodette.

City workers check only after someone calls to complain. If the snow remains, they'll give the homeowner a warning, followed by a final notice. After that, the city hires a contractor to remove the snow and sends the bill to the property owner. The bills can be steep - $96 for the inspection and administrative fees, plus about $35 per hour for each worker required to remove the snow.

If the property owner refuses to pay, the city puts a lien on the property. That means it has to be paid when property taxes are due.

Most people don't let the sanctions go that far. Last winter, city inspectors issued 1,543 first notices, 535 final notices and had snow removed by contractors 96 times. Bodette said he didn't know how many owners ended up with liens on their property.

Most people comply quickly after the first notice. Suzanne Schmidt of Oak Hills Drive said that's what her family tried to do in December, when an inspector left a notice on the mailbox. Schmidt said her husband shoveled the sidewalk soon after the snow quit falling, but wind quickly blew snow back over the area. She said she didn't see the first notice, and a second warning came less than 24 hours after the first.

"I was frustrated because I didn't feel like I was given enough time," she said. "I didn't mind that it was brought to my attention, but I felt a little jaded because it was obvious that an attempt was made and we weren't trying to be negligent."

Schmidt said a city worker told her 14 houses on the same street were given notices. The sidewalks in the Rockrimmon-area neighborhood are popular for people who enjoy walking, so Schmidt figures one of them might have complained.

Complaints aren't concentrated in any part of town, Bodette said, citing the frequency of storms that dump several inches in one area and only a dusting somewhere else.

City laws that require sidewalk shoveling are common, said Julius Zsako, communications director of Denver Community Planning and Development. Denver handles about 3,000 "sidewalk safety" cases a year, Zsako said.

"The vast majority of people comply with the first sidewalk safety notice," he said. "A lot of times people were just unaware of it."

In Denver, officials can impose a $150 fine on people who don't comply with the law, but there's no process for putting a lien on a property, Zsako said. City workers there try to accommodate people who have special considerations, and they urge neighbors to help one another. An 87-year-old Denver resident called the city recently saying she was trying to complete the shoveling in small chunks but wouldn't be able to complete it in 24 hours. Zsako said the woman was allowed extra time.

Denver allows business owners four hours to remove snow from sidewalks, and in Colorado Springs the deadline for businesses is 5 p.m. the following business day.

Colorado Springs has about 2,150 miles of sidewalk within city limits. To report a sidewalk that needs to be cleared, call 385-5977.

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Contact the writer: 636-0187 or perry.swanson@gazette.com