The law says clear your sidewalks, but enforcement is uncommon

Summit Street in Kent on Wednesday, Feb. 2, still covered with snow after a storm. Wendy DiAlesandro/The Portager

The law says clear your sidewalks, but enforcement is uncommon

- Wendy DiAlesandro

Cities and villages across Portage County have passed laws requiring businesses and residents to clear snow off sidewalks, but in most cases no one is enforcing them, officials said.

They say it would be impractical to penalize hundreds or thousands of people for failing to plow their sidewalks, with few enforcement officers on staff and back-to-back snowfall events making it difficult to track compliance. Some also indicated enforcement would be seen as “heavy-handed.”

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