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City of Somerville Ma Winter Guide

Sec. 12-8. - Snow and ice on sidewalks.

(a) No owner, occupant, tenant, or agent in charge of any land or building abutting a sidewalk in the City of Somerville shall place or suffer to remain on such sidewalk any snow and/or ice for more than six hours between sunrise and sunset on any day. All sidewalks shall be cleared to the surface of the sidewalk, or, where it is impractical to do so, the sidewalk shall be treated with sand or other suitable material. Sidewalks shall be cleared to provide a minimum passage of 36 inches. The city may extend the deadlines set forth above in its discretion.


(b) Whoever violates any of the provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall be fined in accordance with section 1-11.


(c) Upon neglect or violation of the duty imposed by the provisions of this section such duty may be performed by the superintendent of highways at the expense of the person liable to perform the same and the city may place a lien against the property for expenses incurred.


(d) The city treasurer with the approval of the mayor may in civil actions prosecute and adjust claims inuring to the city under the provisions of this section.

(Code 1963, § 12-10; Ord. No. 2008-03, 3-13-2008; Ord. No. 2014-12, §§ C, D, 12-11-2014 ; Ord. No.2015-03 , § B, 3-26-2015)


State Law reference— Removal of snow from sidewalks, M.G.L.A. c. 40, § 21(3), (4); ordinances authorized, M.G.L.A. c. 85, § 5.


Sec. 12-9. - Shoveling snow on streets.

(a) No owner, tenant or occupant of land or a building, or any agent thereof, in this city shall cause any snow or ice from said land or building to be placed in any public way in this city unless said snow or ice is broken up and spread evenly, to a thickness of no more than three inches, during daylight hours, when the mean temperature for that day is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit.


(b) Whoever violates any of the provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall be fined in accordance with section 1-11.

(Code 1963, § 8-20; Ord. No. 1990-6, 3-22-90)


Sec. 12-10. - Coasting on streets with a sled.

No person shall coast with a sled in any street or other public place, except as authorized by the board of aldermen.

(Code 1963, § 12-11)


State Law reference— Authority to regulate, M.G.L.A. c. 85, § 10A.

Shoveling Regulations & Information for City of Somerville Ma

Property Owners’ Responsibilities for Clearing Sidewalks 

  • What to clear: Owners of any home and/or building abutting a public way are responsible for ensuring that the sidewalk and accessible ramps in front of their property, and extending to the corner if on a corner lot, are clear of ice and snow, in accordance with Section 12-8 of the City Code of Ordinances. For properties abutting sidewalks with curb cuts, ramps, or other access points, property owners are responsible for shoveling proper pathways for access.

  • How to clear sidewalks: Per state ADA requirements and City ordinance, sidewalks must be shoveled to a minimum of 42 inches wide to allow wheelchair passage.

  • When to clear sidewalks: The time frame in which residents/property owners have to shovel before getting a ticket has changed. The new policy is that sidewalks must be cleared within 6 daylight hours after snow stops falling.

  • **Enforcement/Ticketing: Failure to comply with this ordinance will result in fines in accordance with Section 1-11, as noted below:

    • 1st offense: $50.00

    • 2nd offense: $100.00

    • 3rd offense: $200.00

  • **Enforcement/Clean and Lien: If sidewalks abutting private property remain uncleared after 24 daylight hours from the end of the snow emergency (or snowfall if no emergency was declared), the City will make every effort to dispatch crews or contractors to the address for snow and ice removal. This work shall be carried out in accordance with the priorities listed under “Plowing Procedures.” In order for the City to recover its costs for the clearance of such snow and ice from public sidewalks abutting private properties, additional fines will be assessed and charged via a lien placed on the property in question.

  • Reporting uncleared sidewalks: City Inspectors regularly patrol the city following each snow event, tracking properties that do not comply with City Ordinances for snow and ice removal. These properties are documented within City databases, and violations are issued. Clean-and-lien activities will also ensue according to the procedures noted above. Tip: However, if you notice any sidewalk, public access route, ramp, etc. that has not been cleared of snow and ice up to the minimum width of 42 inches, please contact 311 by calling 3-1-1, emailing 311Updates@somervillema.gov, or reporting issues via Facebook (www.facebook.com/311Somerville) or Twitter (@311Somerville, @SomervilleCity). The City of Somerville maintains work orders and requests for these issues to help to track problem areas.


Do not shovel snow or ice onto the street, unless…
Per Section 12-9 of the City Code of Ordinances, Residents/property owners may not shovel snow or ice into public streets unless all of the following conditions are met:

  • The mean temperature for that day is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit (snow should be soft),

  • It is during daylight hours,

  • Snow or ice is broken up and spread evenly.

Winter Parking Regulations for Somerville Ma

Snow Emergency Parking Regulations

DURING SNOW EMERGENCIES:

Because winter starts in an even year this year (2016), when a snow emergency is in effect, parking is allowed on the even-numbered side of the street ONLY, unless the street has posted signage that states otherwise. Vehicles parked on the odd-numbered side of the street must either be moved to the even side, or to another location. Due to parking limitations in the City, municipal and school lots will be made available to residents during snow emergencies. The City maintains a list and map of available lots. Vehicles MUST be moved from the odd side within four hours after the snow emergency has been declared, or they will be ticketed and towed in accordance with the City Code of Ordinances.

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It is important that vehicles be parked only on one side of the street as noted above to ensure plows can make all roads accessible and safe, particularly for emergency vehicles. Ticketing AND towing of vehicles parked on the odd-numbered side of the road (or as otherwise posted) will commence four hours after the snow emergency is declared.  Parking-related fines during snow emergencies include:

  • Failure to Move Car to Proper Side of Street: $100

  • Tow Zone / Obstructing Plow: $100 (imposed by towing company)

  • Parked within 10 feet of Fire Hydrant/Designated Fire Lane: $100

  • Parked within 20 feet of an Intersection (state law): $100


If your vehicle is towed during a snow emergency, you should contact Pat’s Towing at 617-776-5810.

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AFTER SNOW EMERGENCIES:
Cars parked in City or school lots must be moved within two hours after the end of the emergency. Permit parking enforcement citywide resumes 24 hours after the snow emergency has been lifted. It is the responsibility of residents to clean off their vehicles and ensure the vehicle’s Residential or Visitor parking permit is visible within 24 hours after the end of the emergency. Parking Control Officers are not authorized to remove snow from any vehicle. If the permit is not visible, the vehicle WILL be ticketed for a Permit Parking Violation.

City Ordinance normally restricts any vehicle from remaining in the same space on any street for a period exceeding 48 hours. This rule is not in effect DURING a snow emergency. However, 48 hours after the snow emergency has been lifted, this violation will be strictly enforced on both the odd and even sides of the street. Failure to comply will result in the ticketing and potential towing of the vehicle.

Residents may NOT put objects on the street to reserve parking spaces, per Section 12-18 of City Code of Ordinances. Objects used to save parking spaces may be collected and disposed of. 

City of Somerville Ma Snow Removal Responsibilities

City Responsibilities

The Somerville Department of Public Works and its contractors clear all 462 streets in Somerville, and they are responsible for clearing sidewalks abutting public property, walkways in municipal parks and open spaces, crosswalks, curb ramps and landings that provide access to push buttons at signalized crosswalks, and bus stops and paths to and from bus stops including crosswalks and accessible ramps throughout the City. Streets and walkways will be treated with salt or sand prior to or during snowfall as appropriate.

In larger snow events, our goal is always to plow snow as close to the curb as possible. While we do our absolute best to avoid plowing extra snow onto sidewalks and driveways in this process, sometimes it is unavoidable, particularly in a very densely populated community. Please know that any feedback you provide is taken very seriously and we communicate in real-time with our plow drivers and other staff to work to avoid similar situations in the future.

Roads will be plowed and walkways and sidewalks will be cleared as described in the “Snow Removal Policies.”

To ensure that we can plow as close to the curb as possible, City parking restrictions during snow emergencies will be strictly enforced (see “Snow Emergency Regulations”). Failure to comply with stated parking regulations will result in a $100 fine and your vehicle will be towed at the vehicle owner’s expense, per Section 11-2 of the City’s Code of Ordinances. To ease parking demand, the City will make municipal and public school parking lots available to residents at no cost for the duration of a snow emergency (see Snow Emergency Regulations for restrictions and the list and map of snow emergency parking lots.)

 

Plowing Procedures 
All streets will be treated with salt or sand prior to or during snowfall as appropriate. During snow emergencies, plows will push snow as close to the curb as possible in order to assure proper clearance and safety for vehicles, particularly emergency vehicles. While we do our absolute best to avoid plowing extra snow onto sidewalks and driveways in this process, sometimes it is unavoidable, particularly in a very densely populated community, and we are truly sorry for those instances where it does happen. Please know that any feedback you provide is taken very seriously and we communicate in real-time with our plow drivers and other staff to work to avoid similar situations in the future.

Streets and public walkways will be plowed or cleared in the order as follows:

  • Main roads, cross streets, bus routes

  • “Hospital hills”

  • Schools

  • Public bus stops/ramps/bridges

  • City Squares (including traffic islands)

  • Side streets

  • Public sidewalks abutting municipal property including schools

  • Bus route sidewalks and crosswalks

  • Public sidewalks abutting private properties. The City of Somerville will assume property owners’ responsibilities for sidewalks abutting private properties if owners have failed to clear their walkways after no more than 24 daylight hours following the end of a snow event.

During snow emergencies, our crews work around the clock to ensure our streets remain safe and accessible for all residents. Please note that many factors may contribute to some amounts of snow accumulating on your street before a plow can return to re-plow, particularly in storms with larger accumulations and/or with heavier snow. Requests received via social media and through 311 are tracked in real-time and communicated to the Department of Public Works. Requests are prioritized based on severity and emergencies first and foremost. However, we do our best to respond to each and every request as possible. If you would like to log a request or ask a question of our City crews, please call 311,or log onto one of our social media feeds.

 

Parking Procedures

The City implements and enforces snow emergency parking procedures aimed at enabling the safe and efficient removal of snow from its streets. To that end, during a snow emergency, parking is limited to only one side of the street.

In response to calls from the community to more equitably distribute the potential hardships of snow and ice removal from plowing operations, the City of Somerville instituted an annually alternating parking policy for snow emergencies beginning in calendar year 2015. Snow emergency parking had previously been allowed only on the odd side of the street.

The new policy states that in winter seasons that begin in an even year, there will be even-side-only parking during snow emergencies (park-even season), except where otherwise posted. In winter seasons that begin in an odd year, there will be odd-side-only parking during snow emergencies (park-odd season), except where otherwise posted. The intent of this policy is to equitably distribute the potential hardships of snow and ice removal from plowing operations.

Parking on a limited number of streets will not alternate during snow emergencies. For an explanation of why some streets have posted exceptions to the general rule, click here.

http://archive.somervillema.gov/snow/general-removal-information

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