Salt on sidewalks
Sidewalk salt can be an effective tool to keep our sidewalks safe in the winter. Only use sidewalk salt to break up ice you cannot remove otherwise or as a de-icer in a freeze-thaw cycle. Too much salt can hurt pets' feet as well as the environment. Excess salt also makes sidewalks uneven and hard to navigate.
Leftover salt must be cleaned up. Clean up all undissolved salt to reduce damage to concrete, the amount of salt tracked, and runoff into the groundwater and local waterways.
Once salt is in our waterways, it does not break down. It only takes one teaspoon of salt to pollute five gallons of water to a level that is toxic. Salt is beginning to contaminate our lakes, waterways, and groundwater.
Reducing your salt use
You can help reduce your salt use when clearing your sidewalks:
- Shovel to remove snow and ice before applying salt. Don't toss salt on top of snow or pre-treat walks with salt.
Use only what you need. A 12-ounce coffee mug of salt is enough to treat 10 sidewalk squares. You know you're using the right amount of salt if, once the ice melts, there's only dust left. If you have undissolved salt, you're using too much. The right amount of salt looks like this:
- Switch to sand when temperatures drop below 15°F. Salt does not work when the temperature is below 15°F. The City provides free sand at various locations around the City
- Choose a certified contractor if you hire a private company to clear your snow.
Excess salt complaints
Excess salt must be cleaned up after ice is removed from the public walk. This the responsibility of the property owner. This still applies even if the property owner hires a contractor to clear the walks and spread salt. The City may issue fines for this violation to the property owner.
You can report concerns of excess salt on public sidewalks. We cannot enforce the excess salt ordinance on driveway aprons or private property. This includes private walks, private parking lots or other private property applications.