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Snow Removal Policy

Snow Emergency Routes
When a snow emergency is declared, the law requires certain precautions such as prohibited parking on roads/streets designated as snow emergency routes.  The Town of Emmitsburg follows the snow emergency schedule established by Frederick County, which means whenever Frederick County declares a snow emergency, so does the Town. To determine if a snow emergency is in effect, please visit: Maryland Active Snow Emergencies. In addition, you can also sign-up to receive alerts regarding the enactment of snow emergencies at: ALERT Frederick County.

BE IT RESOLVED, ENACTED AND ORDAINED by the Mayor and Board of 
Commissioners of the Town of Emmitsburg, Maryland, pursuant to the authority granted to them 
by the laws of Maryland and the Charter of the Town of Emmitsburg, that Title 10; Section 
10.12.120 of the Emmitsburg Municipal Code, be amended as follows as of September 11, 2023. 

A. Definitions. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated: 
"Snow Emergency" means when Frederick County proclaims that the snow emergency plan 
is in effect all streets within the Town of Emmitsburg's corporate limits are subject to this snow 
emergency plan. 

B. Parking Prohibited. The parking of vehicles on streets 
emergency- route is prohibited when the snow emergency plan is in effect, and parking of vehicles 
shall continue to be prohibited until the accumulation has been cleared. 

C. Removal of Vehicles. The town is authorized and empowered to take possession of and to 
remove and/ or issue a citation for any parked vehicles that interfere with the clearance of snow 
and/ or issue a citation for any parked vehicles or abandoned vehicles that obstruct traffic or 
interfere with the clearance of snow and/ or ice along streets within the corporate limits of the town 
at the owner's expense. 

D. Emergency Hours. If the snow emergency plan goes into effect after six p.m., no vehicles 
will be towed away, and/ or issued a citation until after eight a.m. of the following day. 

If you have any questions, please contact the town office at 301-600-6300.
(Snow emergency routes will be determined at a later date).


Sidewalk Snow Removal
Per section 12.16.010 of the Emmitsburg Municipal Code, whenever there is a snowfall or freezing rain event in the town, it shall be the responsibility of any property owner with a parcel of real property, bounding upon a sidewalk, to remove the snow and/or ice from the sidewalk within twenty-four (24) hours from the end of the storm and to restore the sidewalk to a condition safe for pedestrians. Failure to clear the sidewalk could result in a municipal infraction and a fine of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per day the infraction continues.  Please be considerate of our residents with handicaps.  Clear a path that will accommodate a wheelchair or motorized scooter.

Please do not blow/shovel snow into the street. Our Public Works staff work long hours clearing the town streets and blowing/shoveling the snow into the street becomes a driving hazard. In addition, please remove all basketball hoops and other play items from the street or curbside to help with the clearing of our streets.

ice melt salt pictured on an eroding sidewalkPLEASE - NO SALT ON NEW SIDEWALKS!
If the sidewalk adjacent to your property was replaced this year, do not use products containing salt (chloride), magnesium chloride (Mag), or sodium chloride. These items react with the concrete and cause the new sidewalks to scale and delaminate. A lot of the “safe concrete” deicers have some sort of chloride in them.  Anything with chloride is bad for new concrete. Instead, please use kitty litter, sand or fireplace ashes to de-ice sidewalks. Please also wash or sweep (if cold) any new concrete area that gets salt deposited on it from your car.