[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Crystal Lake 1-19-1993 (Art. VI, Ch. II, Section J, of the 1993 Code); amended in its entirety 11-1-2011 by Ord. No. 6714. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
No person, firm or corporation shall shovel, plow or otherwise remove snow from sidewalks, parking lots, driveways or other private property in such a manner as to block or otherwise impede the access to the public sidewalks adjacent to the property.
No person, firm or corporation shall shovel, plow or otherwise remove snow from private property and deposit it upon the streets or public rights-of-way of the City; except owners of property within the downtown business area, herein defined, may shovel, plow or otherwise remove snow from the public sidewalk and deposit it upon the street or public right-of-way within the downtown business area.
A. 
Definitions. As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
DOWNTOWN BUSINESS AREA
The area comprised of the east ROW line for Main Street between Prairie Street and the UPRR ROW; the west ROW line for Main Street from the driveway for 110 North Main Street to the UPRR ROW; the north ROW line for Railroad Street from Main Street to Grant Street; the south ROW line for Woodstock Street between Grant Street and Williams Street; the west ROW line for Williams Street from Woodstock Street to Crystal Lake Avenue; the east ROW line for Williams Street from Woodstock Street to 19 North Williams Street; the west ROW line for Grant Street from Crystal Lake Avenue to Brink Street; the east ROW line for Grant Street from Crystal Lake Avenue to Woodstock Street; the north ROW line for Brink Street from Grant Street to the alley behind 51 North Williams Street; and the south ROW line for Brink Street from Grant Street to Main Street.
REMOVAL COSTS
The expenditures incurred by the City pursuant to § 451-5.
B. 
Duty of downtown business area property owners. Every property owner or other responsible person with property located in the downtown business area, which lot contains, abuts or fronts on a paved public sidewalk, shall remove and clear away, or cause to be removed and cleared away, snow and also accumulations of ice, sleet, or freezing rain that result in an unsafe condition for pedestrians. The accumulation may be from any source, including precipitation and drifting. After initial clearance, the responsible person shall maintain the sidewalk in a safe condition for pedestrians.
(1) 
All snow, ice, or freezing rain that results in an unsafe condition for pedestrians prior to 6:00 a.m. on a public sidewalk adjacent to property utilized for commercial purposes shall be removed by the property owner or other responsible person by 12:00 noon of the same day. This requirement does not apply to Sundays and major holidays; and in the case of a major blizzard event, this requirement shall be relaxed. Immediately after the accumulation of ice on such sidewalk, it shall be treated with sand, salt or other substance to prevent it from being slippery along the entire length and the entire width of the public sidewalk (or a clear four-foot path in the case of wider sidewalks) which is upon, fronts or abuts the property. For owners of property most closely abutting sidewalk ramps, owners shall clear the ramps in the same fashion as the sidewalk.
(2) 
In the event snow, ice, sleet or freezing rain on a sidewalk has become so hard that it cannot be reasonably removed without damage to the sidewalk, or is otherwise largely impractical to remove, the person responsible for said removal shall cause enough sand or other abrasive material to be put on the sidewalk to make travel thereon reasonably safe, and shall maintain the sidewalk in such condition until weather permits the owner to comply with this section.
C. 
Breach of duty. In the event that a downtown business area property owner fails to comply with Subsection B, the City may remove, or cause to be removed, all accumulated snow and ice from any sidewalk abutting the property.
A. 
The City shall serve or cause to be served a notice upon the owner of the property that is in violation of this chapter; the City may cause said snow, ice, sleet or freezing rain to be removed or appropriately treated without further notice.
B. 
It shall also be the duty of the City to serve or cause to be served a notice upon the owner or occupant of the downtown business area property that is in violation of the provisions of this chapter. If the person so served does not abate the nuisance within a timely fashion, the City may cause snow removal/treatment to create a safe condition for pedestrians without further notice.
[Amended 9-15-2020 by Ord. No. 7653]
If the City removes and/or treats snow and/or ice, or causes the removal and/or treatment of snow and/or ice through a contractor, the City shall charge the property owner the following fees:
A. 
For the first hour of removal and/or treatment: $250.
B. 
For each additional hour or part thereof: $200.
Property subject to a lien for unpaid snow removal/treatment charges shall be sold for nonpayment of the same, and proceeds of such sale shall be applied to pay the charges after deducting costs, as is the case with the foreclosure of statutory liens. Such foreclosures shall be in equity in the name of the City. The City Attorney is hereby authorized and directed to institute such proceedings, in the name of the City, in any court having jurisdiction over such matters.
In addition to the charges and actions set forth in §§ 451-5 and 451-6, any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall be fined as set forth in Chapter 248, Fines, for each offense. A separate offense shall be deemed committed each day during or on which a violation continues or occurs.