State guides · Pennsylvania · Snow
Sidewalk snow removal rules in Pennsylvania, town by town
Pennsylvania has no statewide shoveling law. Each borough and city sets its own deadline, fine and who has to do it, and they range from 3 hours to 24. Here are the rules for Lock Haven, Williamsport, State College, Bellefonte and Lewisburg, plus Pennsylvania’s biggest cities, each from the town’s own ordinance or official page, and what the courts say about who pays when someone falls.
Lock Haven, State College and Bellefonte: 24 hours after the snow stops. Lewisburg: 12 hours (by 10 a.m. if it stops after 6 p.m.). Williamsport: 6 hours in daytime, by 10 a.m. after a nighttime snow. Philadelphia 6 hours, Pittsburgh 24. Fines run from $25 a day to $1,000. Checked Nov. 13, 2026.
When do I have to shovel?
Only Williamsport and Reading treat a nighttime snow differently; the other towns count straight hours.
Pick a town and when the snow stopped.
The rules, town by town
| Town | Deadline after snow stops | Path | Fine and city cleanup | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lock Haven Clinton Co. | Within 24 hours Applies when 1 in. or more builds up. Under 1 in., you still have to salt or sand to make the walk safe. The city’s once-a-year newspaper notice is the only notice you get. | Not stated | Up to $1,000 plus costs; each day is a separate offense; the city can clear it and bill labor and machine rental plus 10% | Ordinance |
| Williamsport Lycoming Co. | Within 6 hours (daytime); by 10 a.m. after a nighttime snow | Full width of the sidewalk, corner crosswalk included | $25 first offense, $50 second, $100 third and after; each day counts; the Codes Office can clear it at $30 per hour per worker ($30 minimum) | Ordinance |
| State College Centre Co. | Within 24 hours | Not stated | $50 ticket if paid in 7 days ($100 for a second or later violation that winter); $100 to $600 on conviction; each day counts; the borough can clear it and bill the cost plus 10% | Ordinance |
| Bellefonte Centre Co. | Within 24 hours In a declared exceptional storm you may spread sand or anti-skid instead of clearing everything, reapplied throughout the storm. | Not stated | $25 per offense; each day counts; unpaid after 72 hours goes to the district judge | Ordinance |
| Lewisburg Union Co. | Within 12 hours; by 10 a.m. if it stops after 6 p.m. | Not stated | Up to $600 plus costs per day on conviction; $10 charge with a 1-day notice; the borough can clear it and bill the cost plus $25 plus 10% | Ordinance |
| Philadelphia Philadelphia Co. | Within 6 hours | 36 in. path | $50 to $300 per violation | City page |
| Pittsburgh Allegheny Co. | Within 24 hours | Not stated | Warning, then $200 | City page |
| Allentown Lehigh Co. | Within 10 hours | 3 ft path | $25 or $100 ticket, or up to $600 plus costs on citation | City page |
| Reading Berks Co. | Within 4 hours (2 hours downtown) Penn, Washington and Court Streets and 2nd to 9th Streets between Penn and Washington: 2 hours. If it stops after dark, the clock starts at daybreak. | 3 ft path; businesses and downtown: the whole sidewalk | Quality-of-life ticket (amount not stated in QOL.012) | Ordinance |
| Erie Erie Co. | Within 3 hours Per the city’s Public Works director, as reported by Erie News Now. | Not stated | Up to $300 | News report |
| Lancaster Lancaster Co. | Within 5 hours | Sidewalk and crosswalk entrances | Not stated on the city page | City page |
| Harrisburg Dauphin Co. | Within 24 hours | 2 ft 6 in. path, plus a path from the main door to the sidewalk | City general penalty (Ch. 3-399), and liable for damages caused by the neglect | Ordinance |
| Bethlehem Northampton Co. | Within 24 hours | 3 ft path (city FAQ) | Up to $300 plus costs per violation | Ordinance |
First five are where we work; the rest are Pennsylvania’s largest cities. Ordinances change, and municipal codes online can lag new amendments, so confirm with your borough or city office. Townships and other boroughs set their own rules.
Who pays when someone falls?
For a dangerous public sidewalk, the abutting property owner is primarily liable and the town only secondarily, under 42 Pa.C.S. § 8542(b)(7).
For snow and ice, the injured person generally has to prove three things: the snow or ice was left in ridges or elevations big enough to unreasonably block travel; the owner knew or should have known; and that buildup caused the fall. Proof of all three is required (Rinaldi v. Levine).
Owners don’t have to plow, salt or shovel during an active storm, only within a reasonable time after it ends, and clearing during a storm doesn’t forfeit the protection (Collins; Beck).
The doctrine covers general slippery conditions from an entirely natural accumulation after a recent snowfall. A localized patch of ice, rather than general slippery conditions, falls outside it (Harvey; Bacsick).
Absent a claim based on the contract, a snow removal company is protected by the doctrine to the same degree as the owner (Biernacki).
The town’s deadline decides whether you get a ticket. A fall claim is decided under the rules above. Clearing on time also keeps ridges from forming, and ridges are what a fall claim has to prove.
Questions
How long do you have to shovel your sidewalk in Pennsylvania?
There’s no statewide deadline; each town sets its own. In the towns on this page it runs from 3 hours (Erie) and 6 hours (Philadelphia, Williamsport in daytime) to 24 hours (Lock Haven, State College, Bellefonte, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Bethlehem), counted from when the snow stops.
What is the fine for not shoveling your sidewalk in PA?
It depends on the town: $25 a day in Bellefonte, $25 to $100 in Williamsport, a $50 ticket in State College, $50 to $300 in Philadelphia, $200 in Pittsburgh, and up to $600 to $1,000 on conviction in Lewisburg, State College and Lock Haven. Most towns also count each day as a new offense and can clear the walk and bill you.
Who is liable if someone slips on my sidewalk in Pennsylvania?
The abutting property owner is primarily liable for a dangerous sidewalk and the town is only secondarily liable, under 42 Pa.C.S. § 8542(b)(7). But for snow and ice, Pennsylvania’s hills and ridges doctrine limits that: the injured person generally has to prove the snow or ice was left in ridges or elevations that unreasonably blocked travel, that you knew or should have known, and that it caused the fall.
Do I have to shovel while it’s still snowing?
Not under the hills and ridges doctrine: owners have no duty to clear snow and ice during an active storm, only within a reasonable time after it ends. Town deadlines also start when the snow stops falling.
Does the landlord or the tenant have to shovel?
Whoever the ordinance names. Lewisburg puts it on the owner even when a tenant lives there; Williamsport names the building owner; Bellefonte, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh name owners and tenants or occupants. Put it in the lease either way.
Does salt count as clearing the sidewalk?
Usually only when ice can’t be removed. Lock Haven requires salt, cinders or anti-skid when less than an inch falls, and Bellefonte lets you sand instead of clear during a declared exceptional storm. Otherwise the ordinances require the snow and ice to be removed.
Sources: City of Lock Haven Code, Ch. 346, Art. II (§§ 346-5 to 346-9); City of Williamsport Codified Ordinances, Art. 733; Borough of State College Code, Ch. XVI, Part I (§§ 16-801 to 16-804); Borough of Bellefonte Code, Ch. 495, Art. III (§§ 495-22 to 495-25); Borough of Lewisburg Code, Ch. 300, Art. IV (§§ 300-14 to 300-16); City of Philadelphia, Snow events (Phila. Code § 10-720); City of Pittsburgh 311 (City Code § 419.03); City of Allentown, Clean Snow from Sidewalks (Ord. 711.05); City of Reading Code, QOL.012; Erie News Now, Erie Public Works Director on the city ordinance; City of Lancaster, Snow; City of Harrisburg Code, Streets and Sidewalks; City of Bethlehem Codified Ordinances, Art. 721 (§§ 721.03, 721.99); City of Bethlehem, Snow Removal FAQs (PDF); Melvin v. Sellani (Pa. Super. 2025), applying Rinaldi v. Levine, 176 A.2d 623 (Pa. 1962); McLamb v. Supervalu (Pa. Super. 2014), quoting Harvey v. Rouse Chamberlin and Bacsick v. Barnes; Marshall Dennehey, The hills and ridges doctrine (Collins, Biernacki, Beck); 42 Pa.C.S. § 8542(b)(7), sidewalks exception (PA General Assembly). Checked Nov. 13, 2026.
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Cite as: Muthler Landscaping & Construction, “Sidewalk Snow Removal Rules in Pennsylvania,” https://muthlerlandscaping.com/state-guides/pennsylvania/sidewalk-snow-removal-rules/ (last checked November 13, 2026).
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