Nearly two dozen Bethesda businesses, homeowners and even a fire station violated Montgomery County’s sidewalk snow removal law this winter.
All 23 violations resulted from on-site inspections. All the Bethesda-area violations were corrected and no fines were issued, according to county records requested by BethesdaNow.com.
Among those properties where snow remained on a sidewalk more than a day after one of this winter’s four major snow events: the Starbucks at 7140 Wisconsin Avenue, Steamers Seafood House, the Popeyes in White Flint, the Riviera of Chevy Chase condos and Bethesda Fire Station 26 on Democracy Boulevard.
The county’s Department of Housing and Community Affairs reported 594 cases of unshoveled sidewalks this winter countywide. Housing inspectors are responsible for enforcing the county’s 24-hour snow removal law, which requires all property owners to shovel snow and ice from their sidewalks within 24 hours of the end of a snow storm.
Two properties in Silver Spring — a church on Fairland Road and homeowner near Layhill Road — were issued $50 citations by the county.
It comes after county officials started a public information campaign in January to encourage residents and business owners to meet the sidewalk snow removal requirement.
The campaign was one part of the Sidewalk Snow Removal bill passed last October by the County Council. The bill, sponsored by Councilmember Hans Riemer, also requires the county to identify high-volume pedestrian routes, bus stops, school zones, urban districts and sidewalks along state highways that could be added to the county’s snow removal work on county roads and streets.
In January, county officials said that part of the process will require more funding.
Some of the reported sidewalk snow removal violation cases were determined to be unfounded. Typically, sidewalk snow removal cases in front of single-family homes were treated with a warning letter to that property owner.
If that homeowner was reported to violate the 24-hour law a second time, inspectors went to the scene.
That happened at least four times this winter in Bethesda and Chevy Chase, where repeat offenders at 4604 Chestnut Street, 6001 Lux Lane, 7546 Hampden Lane and 5620 Wilson Lane were found to be violating the law before eventually removing the snow and avoiding a citation.
Housing inspectors investigated all cases that involved a commercial property, especially in downtown areas such as Bethesda and Wheaton.
The period after the Feb. 17-18 snowstorm was the county’s busiest, with inspections on Feb. 19 finding 10 violations in Bethesda’s Central Business District.
The Starbucks location, Ultimate Home Design, Sapphire Cafe, Plaza Artist Materials & Picture Framing, World Market, Steamers Seafood House, Benihana, Maki Maki Sushi, Papa John’s on 47th Street and downtown Bethesda Radio Shack were all found to have violated the 24-hour rule after that storm. All properties corrected the violation without a citation.
Inspections after the Feb. 21 snow storm found violations at the Trinity Lutheran Church across from Tilden Middle School, Sherwin Williams store in Woodmont Triangle, Popeyes in White Flint, Riviera condo building on East-West Highway and at the construction site of the Solaire Bethesda apartment building.
On Feb. 26, inspectors ruled that Fire Station 26 violated the 24-hour rule. On March 2, inspectors ruled that Parkway Cleaners in Chevy Chase did.
Inspectors visited 126 properties countywide over the winter.
