Clear Snow Off Sidewalks in 24 Hours

You have 24 hours from daylight to clear snow off your sidewalks in East Providence. Or pay a fine.

“We give everyone a full day,” said City Engineer Eric Skadberg.

The time given to property owners used to be four hours, said Skadberg. But that was almost impossible to enforce. Now the city engineer is able to enforce the ordinance.

“We don’t have a stop watch, obviously,” said Skadberg.

But the city is serious about enforcing the 24-hour rule, he said. It started levying fines last year. 

“We used to send notification letters previously,” he said. “But we needed to put more teeth into the ordinance."

A first offense will draw a $25 fine, Skadberg said. A second offense will get a $50 fine. For three or more offenses, you will pay $100 each.

“We think people will get used to it over time,” he said of the 24-hour rule and enforcement. 

The city uses two large snow throwers to clear city-owned and state-owned sidewalks, he said. There are 2.6 miles of municipal sidewalks in East Providence, usually around schools and other public buildings.