Snow is like that fickle teenage style you once swore by: it was awesome for a while, but eventually it just had to go.

And thus exist the legal requirements across the Washington region that demand something of us all, namely that we get out there and start shoveling enough snow off sidewalks to make them passable and safe for everyone else. The specifics vary from place to place — different towns in a single county can have different rules, and so can private developments with homeowner associations — but the basics are all the same: if you own property, after the snow is done falling, you’ve got to shovel your sidewalk.

D.C.

Eight daylight hours, 36 inches. That’s how long property owners (or designated tenants or occupants) in D.C. have to clear snow off of the sidewalks in front of and alongside their properties, and how large a path they should be clearing in the process. If they fail to do so, residential owners could face a fine of $25 and businesses $150. (People who can’t clear the snow can apply for exemptions; you can also apply to be part of the D.C. Volunteer Snow Team to help our your neighbors.) Enforcement is spotty, but that the city can even levy a fine is something of a legislative miracle; a few years back the D.C. Council updated the city’s decades-old snow-shoveling law to actually give it some teeth. Oh, and remember: none of this applies to the federal government, which is responsible for handling all the sidewalks abutting its many properties in the city.

Montgomery County

Property owners in Montgomery County have 24 hours from when snow stops falling to clear sidewalks to “provide a pathway wide enough for safe pedestrian and wheelchair use.” And if a county snowplow then pushes snow from roadways onto those shoveled walkways and across driveways that link sidewalks, well, property owners have another 24 hours to clear it away… again. The law also applies in the localities of Barnesville, Poolesville, Brookville, Chevy Chase Section 5, and the Village of Chevy Chase, but they differ in the following places:

• Takoma Park: Snow and ice have to be removed by 7 p.m. on the day the snow stops falling, or by the end of four daylight hours after snow has accumulated, whichever is later.
• Rockville: Snow and ice have to be removed between 24 and 72 hours after accumulation, depending on how much actually came down. Up to three inches gets you 24 hours, 3-9 inches is 48 hours, and 10 inches or more is 72 hours.
• Gaithersburg: 12 hours from the last snowfall, though residents and businesses are also encouraged to wait for snowplows to clear roadways “to avoid continuous clearings.”

Failure to clear sidewalks can land you a $50 fine, but the county would much rather you just do it to be a good person: “Part of being a good neighbor is clearing the sidewalks so pedestrians can use them if needed. Maybe no one walks there because it is covered with snow and ice,” says the county on its website.

Prince George’s County

Snow and ice removal in Prince George’s County is dictated by the Abutter’s Ordinance, which gives residential and commercial property owners up to 48 hours to clear away anything more than two inches of snow and ice. If they haven’t done so within 24 hours, they run the risk of a stern reminder; a failure to do so in the following 24 hours could land them a $100 fine, and then subsequent fines for every 24-hour period thereafter that the snow and ice are not removed. Like Montgomery County, incorporated cities and towns may have their own requirements; Laurel, for example, gives residents and businesses only 12 hours to shovel.

Arlington County

For anything less than six inches of snow or ice, residents and businesses have 24 hours to shovel their sidewalks. For anything more than that, it’s 36 hours. (On Tuesday, the county updated its guidance on the snowfall in the recent storm, determining that it “deposited snow/ice accumulations of more than 6 inches. The snow removal ordinance requires residents and businesses to clear adjacent public sidewalks of snow and ice by 2:00 A.M. on Wednesday, Jan 5.”) If you fail to heed the county’s orders, you could be hit with a $50 fine (f0r a sidewalk of less than 200 linear feet) or $100 (for anything bigger than that) — or the county could come in and do the job for you and then send you the bill. Oh, and this is important: don’t just dump that snow on a street or another part of the sidewalk, or you could face a $250 fine. Exemptions to the shoveling ordinance are available for people who can’y physically clear snow and ice away.

City of Alexandria

Alexandria sets shoveling deadlines based on the severity of the storm: a Level 1 storm gives residents and businesses up to 24 hours to get it done after snow stops, a Level 2 storm is 48 hours, and a Level 3 storm is 72 hours. (Sadly, Alexandria doesn’t make it easy to determine what level storm we were just hit with.) Failure to clear could land you a $50 fine, or the bill if the city comes to clear your sidewalk for you.

Fairfax County

A slightly more laissez-faire approach: “While not legally obligated, residents and businesses are asked to help keep sidewalks safe, when possible, by clearing snow off the sidewalks in front of their property so that all pedestrians, especially school children, those with disabilities and the elderly, may walk securely.”

Loudoun County

Any property owner abutting a public sidewalk has six hours after snow has stopped falling to clear it; if the storm ended during the night, the deadline is noon the next day, and if it snow stopped on a Sunday, it’s noon on the following Monday. Anyone over the age of 65 or with a disability is exempted from the requirement, and if the county government closes during the storm, all property owners get an extra 48 hours to clear their sidewalks. Non-compliance gets you a $100 fine. If you live in an incorporated town, the rules may be different; Leesburg, for one, has a straight 24-hour deadline for clearing snow and ice from sidewalks.

Updated to reflect additional guidance from Arlington County on snow totals for the recent storm.