New York City aggressively ticketed 5,000 property owners for icy sidewalks following a recent storm, yet a Post investigation revealed the city failed to clear its own walkways, leaving them dangerously hazardous. This glaring double standard exposes the Adams administration’s hypocritical enforcement of snow removal laws and a deep crisis in municipal accountability.
Story Highlights
- NYC fined property owners 5,000 times for uncleared sidewalks after December 14 storm.
- City’s own sidewalks remained slippery and uncleared, violating same Administrative Code rules.
- Property owners face strict 4-11 hour deadlines while city ignores its own responsibilities.
- Double standard undermines public trust and exposes municipal accountability crisis.
City Enforces Strict Snow Removal Deadlines on Private Owners
New York City’s Department of Sanitation began issuing summonses at 4:30 PM on December 14, 2025, just four hours after a winter storm ended at 12:30 PM. The aggressive enforcement targeted property owners under NYC Administrative Code § 16-123, which mandates snow and ice removal within rigid timeframes. Property owners must clear sidewalks within four hours if snow stops between 7 AM and 4:59 PM, by 9 AM if storms end between 5-8:59 PM, or by 11 AM for overnight storms ending between 9 PM and 6:59 AM.
The enforcement blitz specifically targeted high-traffic and complaint-driven areas during an extended deep freeze that followed the storm. DSNY inspectors issued approximately 5,000 summonses by Friday, December 19, focusing heavily on commercial properties and repeat violators. These fines can escalate significantly for repeat offenses, with the city empowered to clear sidewalks itself and bill property owners for the costs plus administrative fees.
NYC appears to be breaking its own slippery sidewalk rules — even as it slams NYers with 5K summonses https://t.co/jOGm9C3o7S pic.twitter.com/oNSGn6kkKF
— New York Post (@nypost) December 19, 2025
Adams Administration Ignores City’s Own Sidewalk Violations
While aggressively fining private property owners, New York City failed to clear its own sidewalks, leaving pedestrians exposed to dangerous icy conditions on city-managed walkways. The New York Post investigation revealed that city sidewalks remained slippery and hazardous five days after the storm, potentially violating the same Administrative Code provisions the city enforces against residents and businesses. This glaring double standard demonstrates the Adams administration’s failure to apply equal accountability to municipal properties.
The hypocrisy extends beyond simple negligence into a pattern of government overreach that punishes hardworking property owners while exempting city agencies from the same standards. NYC Administrative Code § 7-210 shifts liability for sidewalk injuries to abutting property owners, yet the city refuses to accept similar responsibility for its own properties. This selective enforcement undermines the rule of law and creates an unfair burden on taxpayers who fund both the enforcement apparatus and the very city agencies that ignore these requirements.
Property Owners Face Financial and Legal Consequences
Private property owners subjected to the 5,000 summonses face substantial financial penalties and potential civil liability under the city’s strict snow removal regime. Beyond immediate fines, property owners remain liable for slip-and-fall injuries occurring on adjacent sidewalks under § 7-210, even when good-faith efforts are made to apply abrasives to ice that cannot be safely removed without damaging pavement. The law requires property owners to maintain “reasonably safe” conditions beyond initial clearing, creating ongoing liability during refreeze conditions.
Commercial property owners face particularly harsh scrutiny from DSNY inspectors, with enforcement concentrated in Manhattan and other high-traffic boroughs. The Department of Transportation can also issue Notices of Violation with 75-day repair deadlines for sidewalk defects, shortened to just 10 days for emergency conditions. Failure to comply results in liens against properties, creating a cascade of financial consequences that can burden family budgets during the holiday season while city agencies face no similar accountability.
Watch the report: New Yorkers frustrated by sidewalks that weren’t shoveled
Sources:
- NYC appears to be breaking its own slippery sidewalk rules — even as it slams NYers with 5K summonses | New York Post
- NYC issues 150 snow shoveling summonses on Staten Island after storm – silive.com
