LAYTON, Utah — Following the recent holiday snowfall, Layton City is reminding residents about snow procedures and whose responsibility it is to remove it from streets and sidewalks.
“When you are clearing your own driveway and sidewalks, please do not push that snow back out into the road," recommended Steve Garside, Layton City Public Information Officer. “If you live near a school, please keep those sidewalks cleared for the students that commute to and from school.”
Garside says the city requires businesses and residents to clear snow from sidewalks within 12 hours after the end of a storm. If you don't meet these requests, code enforcement may stop by and issue a warning or a citation.
“If the business fronts out on a public roadway, then they’ve got to clear that sidewalk. But if they’ve got internal sidewalks, internal parking lots, we don’t enforce those at all," said Garside on some common questions. "That’s completely up to them and their landlord.”
A few locations within the city triggered concern from residents who would like to see the same procedures apply to their private management companies.
"Nothing was shoveled, nothing was plowed. It was quite a while before the street was plowed," said Colette Hadlock, who has resided in Ridgewood Estates for nearly a decade and is part of the homeowners' association there. "I think that's just scary for people that have mobility issues. It's really hard."
Hadlock and others expressed concerns on the Layton City Facebook page hoping to get answers.
“We don’t have the jurisdiction to go and clear those," said Garside regarding mobile home parks and privately owned properties. "Nor do we have the jurisdiction to go in and enforce or require those property owners to do that.”
Fox 13 reached out to the management company in charge of Ridgewood Estates and did not get a reply regarding snow removal, procedure or the complaints from residents.
"I would like to see better," Hadlock said. "Residents here should be treated just like any other citizen. We pay taxes here, we deserve the same services that people that own a stick-built home."
