Snow rules and local pros by Iowa town
Each town page has the city’s sidewalk snow rule (from the city’s own website), parking and plowing notes, lawn timing from ISU Extension, and local companies checked on their own sites.
Des Moines metro
Adel
Dallas County
Check with the city; we could not confirm a sidewalk deadline on an official city source (city source)
Altoona
Polk County
Clear sidewalks within 24 hours after the weather event ends (city source)
Ankeny
Polk County
Clear sidewalks within 24 hours after the snow stops falling (city source)
Clive
Polk County
Clear sidewalks within 24 hours after the end of a snowfall (city source)
Des Moines
Polk County
Clear sidewalks within 48 hours after the snowfall ends (city source)
Grimes
Polk County
Clear sidewalks promptly; the city may act if not cleared within 24 hours (city source)
Indianola
Warren County
Clear sidewalks within 48 hours (city source)
Johnston
Polk County
Clear sidewalks within 48 hours after a snowfall (city source)
Urbandale
Polk County
Clear sidewalks and crosswalks within 24 hours after a snowfall ends (city source)
Waukee
Dallas County
Clear sidewalks within 24 hours after the snow stops (city source)
West Des Moines
Polk County
Clear sidewalks, including across driveways, within 24 hours after a storm ends (city source)
Eastern Iowa
Cedar Rapids
Linn County
Clear sidewalks within 24 hours after a snow or ice storm (city source)
Clinton
Clinton County
Clear sidewalks within a reasonable time; the city may act after 48 hours (city source)
Davenport/Bettendorf
Scott County
Davenport: clear within 10 hours after snowfall ends; Bettendorf: the city may act after 48 hours (city source)
Dubuque
Dubuque County
Clear sidewalks right after the snow ends and within 48 hours (city source)
Iowa City
Johnson County
Snow or ice may not stay on sidewalks for more than 24 hours (city source)
Muscatine
Muscatine County
Clear sidewalks within 24 hours after the weather event ends (city source)
Western Iowa
Carroll
Carroll County
Clear sidewalks within 24 hours after the snow or ice event ends (city source)
Council Bluffs
Pottawattamie County
Clear sidewalks within 24 hours of a snowfall (city source)
Estherville
Emmet County
Clear sidewalks promptly; the city may act after a reasonable time (city source)
No listings yet
Le Mars
Plymouth County
Clear sidewalks within 48 hours (city source)
Okoboji & Arnolds Park
Dickinson County
Arnolds Park: clear promptly; Okoboji: check with the city (city source)
Sioux City
Woodbury County
Clear sidewalks within 12 hours after a snow event (city source)
Spencer
Clay County
Clear sidewalks within 24 hours after snowfall ends (12 hours downtown) (city source)
Spirit Lake
Dickinson County
Clear sidewalks promptly; the city may act after 18 hours (city source)
Storm Lake
Buena Vista County
Clear sidewalks within 72 hours of a snow or ice event (city source)
Northern & Central Iowa
Ames
Story County
Clear sidewalks within 10 daylight hours of the last snow (city source)
Decorah
Winneshiek County
Clear sidewalks within 24 hours following a snow event (city source)
Fort Dodge
Webster County
Check with the city; we could not confirm a sidewalk deadline on an official city source (city source)
Marshalltown
Marshall County
Clear sidewalks within 24 hours after precipitation stops (city source)
Mason City
Cerro Gordo County
The city takes reports of uncleared sidewalks 48 hours after the last snow (city source)
Newton
Jasper County
Clear sidewalks within 24 hours after the snow stops (city source)
Waterloo & Cedar Falls
Black Hawk County
Waterloo: 48 hours (24 near schools, hospitals, downtown); Cedar Falls: 48 hours (city source)
Southern Iowa
Burlington
Des Moines County
Clear sidewalks completely within 24 hours after a storm (city source)
Keokuk
Lee County
Remove snow and ice from public sidewalks within 24 hours of snowfall (city source)
Oskaloosa
Mahaska County
Clear sidewalks completely within 24 hours after a storm (city source)
Ottumwa
Wapello County
Check with the city; we could not confirm a sidewalk deadline on an official city source (city source)
Pella
Marion County
Code Enforcement handles sidewalks not cleared within 24 hours (city source)