Sidewalk Shoveling Rules and Fines Near Boston
How long you have to clear the sidewalk after a storm, and what it costs if you don't, in 42 Boston-area towns. Some give 3 hours; some set no rule.
In much of Greater Boston, the sidewalk in front of your house is your job, and the clock starts when the snow stops. Elsewhere there is no rule at all. Below is what each of 42 cities and towns says (Boston, including Charlestown and East Boston, counts once), updated November 9, 2026.
Quick summary
- A deadline for residents (14 cities and towns): Boston, Lynn, Winthrop, Salem, Beverly, Somerville, Medford, Cambridge, Lowell, Everett, Malden, Belmont, Billerica and Swampscott, with deadlines from 3 to 24 hours. Eleven post a fine; Belmont (residential), Everett and Lowell do not list one, so ask the city.
- Owners responsible, no deadline posted (1): Melrose.
- A rule for businesses or downtown only (7): Andover, Stoneham, Woburn, Wakefield, Wilmington, North Reading, Lexington.
- No published rule, just a request (15): Bedford, Burlington, Chelmsford, Danvers, Dracut, Marblehead, Middleton, Nahant, Peabody, Reading, Saugus, Tewksbury, Topsfield, Tyngsborough, Westford.
- Call town hall (5): Arlington, Chelsea, Lynnfield, Revere, Winchester.
The clock usually starts when snow stops falling, not when the storm starts, and many towns have a separate rule for overnight snow.
Shortest deadlines: Boston and Lynn
Boston (including Charlestown and East Boston) gives you the shortest window: clear sidewalks and curb ramps within 3 hours after the snow stops, or 3 hours after sunrise if it fell overnight. The path must be 42 inches wide. Fines are per day: $50 for residential properties up to 16 units, $100 for larger buildings, and $200 for commercial.
Lynn gives houses of 6 or fewer units 10 hours after sunrise or the end of snow; commercial, mixed-use and 7-plus-unit buildings get 3 hours. Paths are at least 42 inches, and fines run $50, then $100, then $300, with each day counting.
Town-by-town table
| Town | Deadline after snow stops | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Boston | 3 hours (3 hours after sunrise if overnight); 42 in wide | $50 a day (up to 16 units) |
| Lynn | 10 hours after sunrise (small buildings); 3 hours (commercial, 7+ units) | $50, $100, $300 |
| Winthrop | 6 hours, sunrise to sunset | $25, $50, $100 |
| Salem | 6 hours, or before noon if it stops at night | $25 first, later $50 (pages also list $75/$100) |
| Beverly | 6 hours (daytime snow), 1 p.m. next day (overnight); sand ice within 6 hours | $25 plus $25 per extra 24 hours |
| Somerville | 6 daylight hours; 36 in wide | $100/$200/$300 (1-3 units); $150/$300 (commercial, 5+) |
| Medford | 8 daylight hours; 36 in wide | $50, $100, $200 |
| Cambridge | 12 hours (day), 1 p.m. next day (overnight); ice within 6 hours; 3 ft wide | $50 a day |
| Lowell | 12 hours; 1 p.m. next day if it stops after 6 p.m. | Penalty set in Lowell’s fee schedule (Ch. 150); check with the city |
| Everett | 12 hours after the emergency is declared over; 36 in | Fines possible; waivers for elderly and disabled |
| Malden | 24 hours (under 5 units), 12 hours (business, 5+ units); 36 in | Home: warning, $100, $150. Other: $100, $200, $300 |
| Belmont | By 8 p.m. the day after the storm ends (homes); 12 hours (business) | Residential fine not posted |
| Billerica | 24 hours | $10 a day |
| Swampscott | 24 hours (homes), 12 hours (business); 3 ft wide | Warning, then $50 |
| Melrose | Owners must clear; no deadline posted | None posted |
Chelsea and Arlington are not in the table; call their DPWs for the current rule.
What the differences mean in practice
A tight deadline is about daylight. Several rules count only daylight hours, so snow that ends at 9 p.m. generally gives you until the next morning, not midnight. Salem, Beverly, Cambridge and Lowell give explicit “by noon” or “by 1 p.m. the next day” cutoffs for overnight snow.
Width matters. Most towns ask for at least 36 inches; Boston and Lynn ask for 42. Clear a 42-inch path and you satisfy all of them.
Ice counts too. Cambridge, Beverly, Lowell, Medford and Winthrop address ice as well as snow, and several accept sand or salt in place of bare pavement.
Corner ramps are part of the job. Boston, Cambridge and Salem say curb ramps are included.
Fines escalate and can repeat daily. Boston, Cambridge, Billerica, Lynn and Wakefield count each day as a new offense. After a third offense within five years, Medford may clear the sidewalk and bill you.
Where the rules are lighter
- Melrose: the city says everyone is responsible for clearing the sidewalk in front of their property, and that it plows only sidewalks next to city property. It posts no deadline or fine. (Melrose’s separate overnight street-parking ban, 2 to 6 a.m. every night, is covered in Overnight Parking Bans: Rules for 42 Towns.)
- Peabody, Westford and Chelmsford ask residents to shovel but have no ordinance requiring it.
- Reading has no requirement today. A bylaw going to the November 2026 Town Meeting would require 24 hours for residential and 12 hours for business properties, starting with a warning, then $100, then $200. Check the outcome.
- Wakefield fines owners of commercial properties and buildings with more than 4 units $200 per violation, but 1-4 unit homes are not covered.
- Andover, Stoneham and Woburn apply deadlines only to listed downtown streets, with deadlines of 10 a.m. (Andover), 5 hours (Stoneham) and 2 hours (Woburn, daytime snow).
- Wilmington and North Reading regulate business sidewalks.
- Lexington does not require homeowners to shovel but asks them to; business owners clear after the town’s first pass in Lexington Center.
Who do you call?
If you think a neighbor’s walk violates a rule, call 311 in Boston, Cambridge’s non-emergency line, or your town’s DPW or code enforcement. In Belmont the residential rule comes through Code Enforcement (617-993-2657).
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Parking, trash and snow changes your town has posted, with the source.
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Sources
- City of Boston: Rules for clearing snowboston.gov
- City of Cambridge: Snowcambridgema.gov
- City of Somerville: Snowsomervillema.gov
- City of Malden: Winter Weather Centralcityofmalden.org
- City of Medford: Snowmedfordma.org
- City of Salem: Snow FAQsalem.com
- Town of Winthrop: Sidewalk ordinancewinthropma.gov
- City of Lowell: Code, Ch. 243 Streets and Sidewalksecode360.com
- City of Melrose: Preparing for Winter Weathercityofmelrose.org
Details such as dates, hours and prices come from the sources above and can change. Check with the organizer before you go.
How we report: every date, price and address comes from a linked source.
