North Platte council sets 36-hour snow-removal deadline for sidewalks, adds daily penalties

The North Platte City Council on Feb. 18 adopted Ordinance No. 4199, amending Title 9, Chapter 91 of the city code to require property owners to clear sidewalks within 36 hours after the cessation of a snowstorm and to add penalty provisions for failure to clear sidewalks.

City staff member Lane told the council the change was intended to give property owners a clear, consistent time frame to remove snow: “One of the main reasons we’re looking at . . . is we have sidewalk ordinances right now, and it calls for people to keep your sidewalks clear, but it doesn’t have any type of a time frame. . . . This just gives us . . . 36 hours after the cessation of a storm to get their sidewalks cleared.”

The council debated how to define when a storm has “ceased,” how the rule will affect properties on snow routes where plows may re-cover sidewalks, and how fines will run. Councilmember Jim Nisley moved — and Councilmember Volz seconded — to strike language in the draft penalty section that made each 24-hour enforcement period commence with a declared snow emergency; the amendment passed. The council then voted to adopt the ordinance as amended.

City Attorney Bill Trudzinski explained that paragraph 2 of 91.21 sets the 36-hour clearing requirement and that the penalty provision in 91.29 treats each 24-hour period that an obstruction remains as a separate potential fine. He noted the city expects enforcement to be practical rather than automatic: fines would be applied after the 36-hour window if sidewalks remain obstructed.

Kendall Wallace of the North Platte Police Department described current enforcement tools: “It’s a $35 fine on the snow route. And then if we tow to impound, I I don’t know exactly what the fees are. I believe it’s $60, and then there’s a certain amount every day for that impound fee.” He added that police or code enforcement will respond to complaints and that towing is used infrequently.

Council members repeatedly emphasized practical enforcement and reasonable flexibility for residents on snow routes and said the 36-hour window was selected after reviewing other cities’ approaches. Several council members said the ordinance is intended primarily to improve pedestrian safety rather than to punish occasional lapses. The council also clarified that the sidewalk rule covers other obstructions (weeds, growth in cracks, parking on sidewalks) in addition to snow.

The ordinance as adopted revises section 91.21 (clearing sidewalks) and adds section 91.29 (penalties). The council did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript beyond the vote passing as amended. The ordinance will be published and take effect as provided in the code.

The council discussion made a point of separating the clearing requirement (a 36-hour obligation) from the penalty provision (daily fines for continued obstruction after that period) and of not tying enforcement strictly to the city’s formal snow-emergency declarations.