Snow Emergency Declared - Alternate Side Parking Required, Reminder about Clearing Sidewalks, and More Updates
postedHi Everyone, The City of Madison has declared a snow emergency to help the citywide plowing effort. More information about the snowplowing response can be found on the Snow Plowing Update. Street Parking Tonight During the Snow EmergencyAlternate side parking rules are in effect for the entire City of Madison, including the Snow Emergency Zone. Alternate side parking is only enforced from 1:00am to 7:00am.
There is a $60 fine if you do not follow winter parking rules. If your car is towed, there is also a $115 towing fee. Call the winter parking hotline at 608-261-9111 to hear recorded information about alternate side parking. Free Overnight parking in City GaragesYou can park for free at City garages from 9pm – 7am during a snow emergency. If you enter before 9pm or leave after 7am, you will need to pay parking fees during the extra time.
You can also park at the Brittingham Park Shelter parking lot on W Washington Ave. How You Can Help with the Snow Clean UpPark your car off the street if you can, like in one of the free overnight city garages or another off-street location. Do not put trash and recycling carts in the street. Put them in your driveway or a cleared area of the terrace. Fewer obstacles make it safer and faster for us to plow the roads. For more information about our snowstorm response and plowing, visit the City of Madison winter website. Learn more by clicking here. Reminder of City Sidewalk Clearing Rules
Winter weather is on the way, and now is the best time to make sure you have everything you need in order to keep sidewalks clear. As a reminder, if you own your home or a business with a public sidewalk, it is your responsibility to keep any sidewalks along the property clear. If you rent your home, be sure to check your lease before it snows to see who is responsible for clearing the sidewalks. Snow- and ice-covered sidewalks are a public safety hazard. That is why the City of Madison’s Building Inspection Division will not issue warnings before writing a citation for failure to remove snow or ice from a sidewalk in a timely manner. City ordinances require all snow and ice be removed from a public sidewalk by Noon (12:00pm) of the day after the snow stops. The best way to make sure you always know when you need to clear your sidewalk is by signing up for the City of Madison’s Snow Removal Updates e-mail list. When clearing your sidewalk, make sure you:
If you live on a corner lot, be sure to double-check that the curb ramps are still clear after plows go through the area. Plows are required to plow to the curb, which means some crosswalk curb ramps may get blocked after plowing. It is your responsibility to keep these clear, even if you already cleared them before plows went through. Fines for Not Shoveling or Excessive Salt UseIf you do not clear public walkways on your property by Noon the day after snow stops falling, you could face significant fines. A first offense citation will come with a fine of $124, once all state-required assessments and fees are added up. Every offense after that will come with a fine of $187. Those fines are separate from any additional snow removal fees you will be charged if the City has to remove the snow for you. Any snow removal fees charged to you will be added to your property tax bill as a special assessment. Last year, the City received a total of 553 resident complaints about snow- or ice-covered walkways, which resulted in 182 citations being issued between October 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025. A total of 22.1” of snow fell during that time period, which was significantly less than the previous year, contributing to fewer resident complaints and citations than the 2023-2024 winter season. The Building Inspection Division also saw a total of 133 complaints for excessive salt use last winter, which resulted in 17 notices being issued. The City’s Winter page has more details on how snow removal fines are calculated. How to Report an Unshoveled or Icy SidewalkIf you come across an unshoveled or icy sidewalk you would like to report, you can do so through the City’s online Report a Problem portal. Once we receive the report, an Inspector can be dispatched to investigate and potentially issue a citation. Additional City of Madison Winter ResourceHere are the rest of this week's updates: Boards, Commissions, and Committee MeetingsNote: This is not a complete list of meetings for this upcoming week. All meetings and their details can be found at the Meeting Schedule page.
If you would like more information about becoming a member of a City board, commission, or committee, please visit the page linked here. Public Information Meetings (PIMs)
Announcements and News Releases
Please visit the City news webpage to find additional news and announcements and to subscribe to receive notification of news releases as they are posted. Events
Additional upcoming events can also be found on the City events calendar. Lastly....If you can, help your elderly and disabled neighbors shovel their sidewalks and driveways. And be careful when driving. It's so much better to drive slowly and get where you're going than to go too fast and have an accident. And be careful when you are shoveling to not overdo it. I find it so much easier to shovel several times during a storm like the one we're having. That way it's not too difficult at any one time and the snow is less likely to be trampled down into a slippery hardpack. Remember to walk like a penguin and avoid slipping, so you don't go to the emergency room with a broken ankle like I did in December 2021. In short, take care, stay warm, and stay safe. Tag
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Alder Tag Evers
District 13
Contact Alder Evers