CITY ISSUES REMINDER OF SNOW EMERGENCY, SHOVELING PROCEDURES FOR WINTER 2011-12

Dec 23, 2011

SOMERVILLE - The City of Somerville has issued its annual reminder to residents and all home- and business-owners of the City's snow emergency regulations and snow shoveling ordinances. As always, City officials will aggressively enforce these public safety regulations, which include: snow emergency parking rules (no parking on even-numbered sides of most streets; no parking in any spot for more than 48 hours; etc.); requirements to shovel and de-ice sidewalks; and a prohibition against shoveling snow into public roadways. A full list of the City's regulations may be found at www.somervillema.gov/snow, or obtained by calling 311. A summary of regulations is as follows:

Snow Emergency Declaration:

In most circumstances, a snow emergency will be declared when weather predictions call for four or more inches of snow accumulation. During snow emergencies, parking is allowed on the odd-numbered side of the street only (unless otherwise posted). Cars not moved in accordance with declared emergencies will be subject to ticketing and towing. Residents will be notified of snow emergencies via:

Local media outlets, including newspapers and TV news media, and CityTV (Channel 16 for Comcast customers; Channel 13 for RCN customers).
Flashing blue lights installed at 22 major street intersections around the City.
Automated phone and e-mail messages from the City's Blackboard Connect alert system. (To receive cell phone, email or SMS text alerts, residents and businesses must sign up either online or by calling 311. You do not need to be a Somerville resident to receive Somerville alerts.)
Loudspeaker announcements by Somerville Police officers
Information posted to the City website, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets.
Residents may also call the 24-hour Snow Line at 617-628 SNOW (7669) to find out if and when a snow emergency is in effect.

Property Owners' Responsibilities:

Following any snow storm, property owners are responsible for shoveling sidewalks in front of your home or business. Per City ordinance, a path of 52" in width must be cleared and a reasonable effort made to remove ice from sidewalks. Once the snow stops, property owners have a window of six daylight hours to shovel sidewalks, after which they are subject to fines in escalating amounts on a daily basis by the City's Inspectional Services Division. City ordinances, tips for shoveling safety and injury prevention, and additional resources and videos may be found on the City's website at www.somervillema.gov/snow.

Additional information may always be found on the City's website, or by calling 311 (617-666-3311 if outside the city or connected to a non-Somerville cell tower).