Blizzaster 2011: City Fines We Forget About

By Chuck Sudo in News on Feb 11, 2011 4:00PM

Bridgeport, Feb. 1, 2011, 3:15 p.m. (Chuck Sudo/Chicagoist)

Sure, the thaw that's expected to hit the area may make clearing the sidewalks a moot point this weekend, but it's still a violation of city law not to shovel your sidewalks and walkways. As our former "Ask Chicagoist" columnist Thales Exoo pointed out a few years back, section 10--8-180 of the city Municipal Code states:

The snow which falls or accumulates during the day (excepting Sundays) before four p.m. shall be removed within three hours after the same has fallen or accumulated. The snow which falls or accumulates on Sunday or after four p.m. and during the night on other days shall be removed before ten a.m.

Not doing so carries a $50 fine. Section 10-8-90 of the same Code also says you cannot be sued if you put forth a good-faith effort at snow removal. We've seen some of the "good faith efforts" in our neighborhood and they're barely wide enough for our dog to walk through. But we aren't the litigious sort.

Did you also know that it's a violation of the City Municipal Code to warm up your car? Eric Zorn reminds us of that very thing this morning. Section 9-40-080 of the Chicago Municipal Code says "No person driving or in charge of a motor vehicle shall permit it to stand unattended without first stopping the engine and removing the ignition key." Violators can be subject to a $75 fine.