You Are LEGALLY Required to Shovel Your Snow in Boise, Idaho

❄️ Boise's latest winter storm added an additional 1.3 inches of snow to what was already on the ground

❄️ Residents are reminded that municipalities have a snow removal ordinance for civilians

❄️ Penalties could include jailtime

For the better part of this winter, your shovels and snow blower have been collecting dust in the garage. Deep down, you were secretly wishing that’s where they’d stay until November. Mother Nature decided to humble us all and cram all of this season’s winter weather into one single month.

While the high winds that came with the winter storm that hit the Boise area on February 13 complicated its impact on traffic, that storm actually dropped less snow on the area than the week before it. According to NOWData from the National Weather Service, the Boise area recorded 1.3 inches of new snow.

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On our drive home from the station, we saw a number of people out for a run in Southeast Boise after the heaviest snow had passed. Watching them navigate snowy sidewalks made us remember a post that racked up dozens of comments in the Boise Bench Dwellers Facebook a few years ago. That post from a woman named Amanda contained a simple request:

To- the able bodied people: This winter runner does not appreciate all the not shoveled sidewalks… #shovelyosidewalks #endrant

This author also happens to be a runner, who recently had the terrible revelation that one of her greatest fears as an adult in her late 30s is falling, so we appreciated Amanda’s request. Unfortunately, she was met with some pretty nasty responses like:

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Listen, we know that running’s not for everyone and that many think it takes a special brand of stupid to brave conditions like we saw with this last storm. However, we were a little surprised by how many people on that thread openly admitted to violating a law.

Ada County and Boise Both Have Ordinances Requiring Civilian Snow Removal

You read that correctly. In most parts of our listening area you are legally required to clear snow and ice from sidewalks in front of your home or business. The Ada County Highway District ordinance reads:

Every owner or occupant of any property zoned for commercial use or used for commercial purposes located in Ada County or any of its cities, shall, by 9 a.m. clear the sidewalks adjacent to such property from snow and keep such sidewalks free therefrom during the day so to allow the use of such sidewalks in a safe and convenient manner.

It goes on to tell those who aren’t business owners:

All other owners or occupants of real property shall keep the sidewalks adjacent to such property reasonably free of snow and ice.

Boise’s Rules for Snow Removal Comes With Serious Consequences

While the ACHD ordinance doesn’t spell out a specific penalty for non-compliance, the one listed in the Boise City Code does. If you’re found willfully violating Boise’s snow removal policy, you could be found guilty of a misdemeanor with a possible punishment up to $1,000, up to six months in the Ada County Jail or a combination of prison time and fines.

Do Meridian or Eagle Have Snow Removal Rules?

In Meridian snow or ice on a public sidewalk abutting or adjoining any privately owned premises is considered an “abatable nuisance.” If you get a notice that you have an abatable nuisance on your property you have five days to take care of it. If you don’t, you’re subject to criminal penalties like a misdemeanor. Eagle’s code reads similarly.