The City’s new permitting and licensing software, Enterprise Permitting & Licensing (EPL) is now live.
The City of Lawrence wants to keep residents mindful of the local ordinances that affect them when snow begins to fall.
Since December of 2008, the City of Lawrence has enforced their more stringent sidewalk snow removal ordinance. This ordinance requires all Lawrence property owners to keep the sidewalks adjacent to their property clear of snow and ice within 48 hours of a winter storm.
For example, if snow stops falling at 8:00 a.m. on a Monday morning, then by Wednesday morning at 8:00 a.m., the sidewalks should be clear or potentially face a citation from the city’s Code Enforcement division. “The purpose of this snow and ice removal ordinance is to create an environment of safe walkways for pedestrians,” said Brian Jimenez, code enforcement manager.
The ordinance applies to all public sidewalks in the city and is primarily handled on a complaint-based system, not staff-initiated code violations. “If a resident sees a sidewalk that has not been cleared within 48 hours of a snow event, they can call our division at (785) 832-7700 or go online and submit the code violation online,” said Jimenez. “It is helpful if the complainant can provide a specific address instead of a general area; this allows us to be the most efficient we can be when processing complaints.” Property owners who are cited can be assessed a fine of $20 for each day the violation occurs, plus court costs.
For more information on the snow and ice removal ordinance, contact Development Services at (785) 832-7700 or visit www.lawrenceks.org.