On October 24, 2016, Wheat Ridge City Council passed Council Bill 24-2016 (Ordinance 1611) amending the Wheat Ridge Code of Laws to add a new section entitled Removal of Snow and Ice from Sidewalks. Under this ordinance, the owner, occupant or tenant of any building, property or lot within the City shall remove snow and ice from all sidewalks adjacent to such building, property or lot and running parallel to any street within twenty-four (24) hours after each snowfall of two inches or more.
The Operations Division of the City’s Public Works Department utilizes a proactive approach to snow and ice control. Pre-determined first and second priority streets are pretreated with liquid and granular deicing materials prior to snowstorms to prevent the formation of ice and accelerate the melting of snow. Arterial and collector streets are considered first priority streets, along with those streets providing access to hospitals, schools, police, and fire and rescue stations. Secondary priority streets include minor collector streets. Third priority streets include hilly residential streets. Generally, remaining residential area streets are plowed and treated as needed to maintain safety at intersections, or after twelve inches (12”) of accumulated snow. For more information, refer to the Snow Removal map.