Calgary's Snow Clearing Bylaw: What You Must Clear in 24 Hours (and What It Costs If You Don't)

Every winter, thousands of Calgary property owners get a notice from the City — or a fine — for something they genuinely did not know they were responsible for. The rule is not complicated, but it is strict, and it applies whether you are home or away, whether you shovel it yourself or hire someone, and regardless of how much snow fell.

This is the plain version of what section 67 of Calgary's Street Bylaw actually requires, with the current penalty amounts, the deadlines, and the traps that catch people out.

The 24-hour rule

Calgary property owners must remove snow and ice from the public sidewalk bordering their property within 24 hours of a snowfall ending. That 24-hour clock starts when the snow stops falling — not when the storm starts.

Two details in that rule matter more than people expect:

• It says snow and ice. Shovelling the snow but leaving a frozen layer behind is not compliance — the requirement is to clear down to the bare surface.
• It covers the sidewalk bordering your property. That is usually the stretch in front, but on a corner lot it includes the side street too. Many first offences happen on corner lots for exactly this reason.

Pathways: minimum 1.5 metres

If a public pathway borders your property, the same 24-hour clock applies, but with a width requirement: you must clear a minimum of 1.5 metres wide, down to the bare surface. Applicable pathways are those running parallel and adjacent to a street, with or without a grass boulevard separating them from the road.

A single shovel-width down the middle of a 3-metre pathway is not enough. The bylaw measures width, not effort.

What it costs if you do not clear

There are two separate consequences, and they can both apply.

1. The City clears it and invoices you

If you do not comply with the bylaw or with a notice the City issues you, the City can clear the sidewalk on your behalf and invoice you. The charge is a minimum flat rate of $150 plus GST, plus an administration fee. If you do not pay that invoice by its due date, the amount is added to your annual property tax bill.

2. Fines for the occupant

Separately from the clearing invoice, the property occupant can be fined:

Tickets issued to repeat offenders may require a court appearance. Unpaid fines are collected by the Alberta Registry Service when you renew your driver's licence or vehicle registration — so they do not quietly disappear.

The trap: owning a rental property

If you own a rental property but live somewhere else, you are still responsible for ensuring the adjacent sidewalks and pathways are cleared, regardless of who actually does the work. You can pass the job to a tenant, but you cannot pass the legal responsibility.

This is the single most common way landlords in Calgary end up with a bylaw file. The tenant moves out or goes away for the holidays, nobody clears the walk, a neighbour reports it, and the notice arrives at the owner's address — not the property's.

Where you are allowed to put the snow

The bylaw is specific about this, and getting it wrong can create a second problem on top of the first:

• Allowed: snow from a public space (a sidewalk) can be shovelled onto another public space (the road).
• Not allowed: snow from your private property (a driveway or walkway) cannot be shovelled onto a public space like the road.

Pile the snow from your driveway on your own property — the front lawn is the usual choice. The City also asks, as good-neighbour practice, that you avoid piling snow where it blocks road access, fills a crosswalk, covers a storm drain, or lands in a neighbour's yard.

Windrows: the snow the plow leaves behind

When a City plow passes, it can push a ridge of snow — a windrow — across the end of your driveway. Here is the part that surprises people: the City does not clear windrows, and property owners are not required to clear them either. You may clear them for your own access if you want to. City crews make every effort to keep them small, and the City reduces windrows at 500 crosswalks and wheelchair curb ramps within 72 hours of a snowfall ending.

What the City does and does not clear

Understanding the split explains why nobody is coming to clear your front walk.

The City also does not clear back lanes or alleyways, does not plow residential roads to bare pavement, and does not clear the sidewalk in front of a school — the school is responsible for that.

The night-work exemption (this is where the 48 hours comes from)

You may have seen the figure "48 hours" attached to Calgary's snow rules and wondered which is correct. Both numbers are real, but they govern different things.

• 24 hours is the deadline to clear your sidewalk after a snowfall ends.
• 48 hours is how long the City's night-time noise relaxation lasts, allowing engine-powered snow clearing equipment — including snow blowers — to run at night.

The relaxation begins when the snowfall (or rain or freezing rain) starts and ends 48 hours after it stops. Outside that window, night use of snow clearing equipment is not permitted, though daytime use is always allowed. If you run a snow blower early in the morning after a storm, you are covered — but the noise exemption says nothing about your 24-hour clearing deadline.

How a complaint happens

Anyone can report an uncleared sidewalk to 311. One rule protects you slightly: 24 hours must have elapsed since the last snowfall before a complaint can be filed, which matches the deadline you were given.

Complaints are not anonymous — the person reporting must identify themselves. Reports are assigned a file number and passed to a peace officer. Because complaint volumes spike after every storm, it can take several days for an initial visit, and cases are prioritised by public safety risk. The practical warning: a sidewalk that stays icy for a week is far more likely to be actioned than one cleared late on a single busy morning.

What this means for the average Calgary homeowner

Add it up honestly. Over a Calgary winter you will clear your sidewalk after roughly 30 to 40 snow events. Each one has a 24-hour deadline attached, it starts counting the moment the snow stops — which may well be at 3 a.m. — and you are on the hook whether you are home, at work, or in another province.

Miss one while you are away, and the downside is $250 as a first offence, or the City clearing it for you at $150 plus GST and administration added to your property tax. The downside of a seasonal contract is that you never think about it again: your driveway, walkway, front steps and the bordering sidewalk are cleared from 0.5 cm of snow, visited at least once every 24 hours during continuous snowfall, with ice melt on city sidewalks where needed.

Common questions about the Calgary snow bylaw

Does the 24-hour clock start when the snow starts or stops?

When it stops. The bylaw counts 24 hours from the end of the snowfall. During a storm that runs for two days, your deadline comes 24 hours after the last flakes fall, not 24 hours after the first.

Am I responsible if I rent out my property?

Yes. Property owners remain responsible for ensuring the adjacent sidewalk and pathway are cleared regardless of who performs the work. You can delegate the shovelling; you cannot delegate the liability.

Is it the same fine for a business?

The bylaw applies to commercial properties and businesses too, and a cleared sidewalk matters for customers and liability. Commercial lots also carry extra obligations around parking areas and accessible routes, so most businesses carry a commercial contract rather than clearing in-house.

Do I have to clear the sidewalk in front of my neighbour's house?

No. You are responsible for the sidewalk bordering your own property. If you want to help an elderly or away neighbour, the City runs a Snow Angels recognition program for exactly that — and Snow Angels are a genuine part of how Calgary neighbourhoods get through winter.

What if the sidewalk is already icy from a freeze-thaw?

The requirement is snow and ice, cleared to a bare surface. A chinook that melts snow during the day and refreezes it overnight can leave a sidewalk technically uncleared even though it looks shoveled. This is why seasonal contracts include ice control rather than just snow clearing — the freeze-thaw cycle is what actually produces most winter slip injuries in Calgary.

Is free sand-salt really available?

Yes. The City provides a free sand-salt mixture for individual use on sidewalks bordering private property, at locations across the city. Bring your own container (under 25 kg) and shovel, one container per visit, first-come first-served. It is for individual homeowners only — contractors are not permitted to use it.