The City of Watertown provided the following information:
Starting this winter, the City of Watertown will begin Phase 2 of implementing the residential snow and ice removal ordinance by beginning to issue warnings to properties not compliant.
This ordinance requires the clearing of a 42-inch pathway of snow and ice from the sidewalk abutting one’s residential property within 24 hours of the end of a snowstorm. We understand the full effects of the ordinance may not be felt until Watertown is hit with a winter storm, so by issuing warnings only this winter and increasing our continued education efforts, we hope our community can be better prepared for the many winters to come.
This winter we are also encouraging our residents to help us gather an understanding of how we can better share information about this ordinance and gather a full understanding of sidewalks that might not be getting cleared 24-hours after a storm. You can help us by utilizing our 311 Service Center, where you can share photos of noncompliance directly with our team. This will help us more accurately enforce warnings and better understand how we can educate the community on this ordinance before implementing Phase 3 of fines in future winter seasons.
Please stay up to date with all Watertown winter news at the Watertown Weather Center and feel free to reach out to your Community Engagement Specialist, Tyler, at tcote@watertown-ma.gov with any questions!