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SLC residents reminded to shovel their sidewalks or face fine

Posted at 10:26 PM, Dec 15, 2015
and last updated 2015-12-16 00:26:59-05

SALT LAKE CITY -- If you haven't shoveled your sidewalk you better get started.

Salt Lake City is one of many places that require property owners to clear their walks within 24 hours following a storm.

According to the city, code enforcement will be out and about Wednesday morning, making sure sidewalks are properly cleared.

"I would say it's about 50/50, people seem to be shoveling when they get home after work," said Deanne Kols, of Salt Lake City.

According to the city, the first violation will result in a warning. After that property owners will face fines ranging from $50 to $200 depending on the size of the property.

"I would hope the biggest motivation would be for the safety of their neighbors and pedestrians," Kols said.

Under the ordinance, a minimum of 42 inches, or the width of the sidewalk, is expected to be cleared.

Paths that are less than 42 inches or have layers of ice on the sidewalk could be in violation.

"Once I came back to my house I was like, 'my sidewalk isn't as clear as some of these other houses,' if code enforcement comes around tomorrow then we might be in a little bit of trouble," said Sam Postich, of Salt Lake City.

For those residents scrambling to buy a last minute shovel, good luck. The shelves at the downtown Ace Hardware were empty. They sold more than 200 between Monday and Tuesday.

"I got about 26 different shovels, probably have the biggest variety in the valley, for all different circumstances, so I'm going to get 100-150, I'm going to reload this whole wall," said store manager Kirk Thrift.

Les, of Salt Lake City, purchased the last gas powered snow blower in the store.

However, it's not for him. There are many residents unable to clear sidewalks on their own. The city is asking everyone to lend their neighbors a hand.

"I see them at the store, and they're older, and they need the help and I mean two feet that's hard for me to do at my age so I figured go over and help them out," Les said.