For this recent weather event (January 25, 2026) DHCA has extended the standard 24-hour snow and ice removal requirement for property owners to up to 48 hours in cases where surfaces are ice-packed and cannot be reasonably cleared. As such, complaints related to snow and ice removal will not be investigated until 48 hours after the event, which is the evening on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.

If a snowplow re-deposits snow or ice on a sidewalk or other walkway after a person has complied with this Section, the person is not responsible for clearing the walkway until 24 hours after the snowplow re-deposited the snow or ice. Please see section 49-17(a) on the attached link for the specific Code reference.

Letters are sent to homeowners who are reported to be in violation. Inspections of commercial properties and multi-family properties are conducted within one business day of a complaint. DHCA Housing Code Enforcement does not have jurisdiction inside the municipalities of Gaithersburg and Rockville. Complaints regarding rental properties within the City of Takoma Park are also handled by DHCA but complaints regarding commercial or owner-occupied properties in that jurisdiction are handled by the City of Takoma Park.

To efficiently handle the large volume of requests following a snowfall and to ensure that the DHCA Housing Code Enforcement Unit has the most complete information required to enforce this law, please provide the exact address of the un-shoveled sidewalk. Locations without an address will be accepted but further investigation regarding ownership and responsibility for removal will result in additional time for enforcement action.

Online users may submit a request by clicking on the Create Service Request button below. Please complete all the fields in the Contact Information section then scroll down to the bottom of the page and provide a brief description of the request in the Brief Desc