The Montgomery County Department of Transportation does not remove snow and ice from sidewalks as they do from County roadways.

The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) does not remove snow and ice from sidewalks along state maintained roadways. State maintained roadways are typically numbered routes such as Route 355 (Frederick Rd.), Route 650 (New Hampshire Ave).

Although there is a Code requirement for property owners to remove snow and ice from sidewalks, there are many miles of sidewalks along County and State Roadways that are not adjacent to privately owned property. The County Code addressing snow and Ice removal from sidewalks and walkways (Sec. 49-17. Accumulation of snow and ice on property prohibited) specifically refers to "any sidewalk, other walkway, shared use path, or parking area on or adjacent to property that the person owns, leases, or manages"

To file a complaint regarding an un-shoveled sidewalk that meets the above referenced criteria, please see the topic entitled "REPORT AN UN-SHOVELED SIDEWALK" or click on the second link below.

When filing a complaint, a specific address is required for each alleged violation because the property owner must be identified for each property and this information must be verified with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation.

Due to the large volume of complaints that typically follow an accumulating snowfall, the Department of Housing and Community Affairs Code Enforcement unit does not have the staff resources to send an inspector to each residential property that has been reported to be in violation, so a letter is sent to each homeowner notifying them of the alleged violation and fines associated with failure to comply with the code requirements.