Who has to clear the sidewalk in Regina?

The rule, in one paragraph

Since January 2022, sidewalk snow clearing has been part of the City of Regina’s Clean Property Bylaw. Property owners across the city are responsible for clearing the sidewalk next to their property after a snow or ice event — within 48 hours for most properties, and within 24 hours for properties inside the Schedule B area, which is primarily downtown.

The clock starts when the snow stops falling. It does not wait for the street to be plowed, and it does not pause because you are out of town. The obligation belongs to the property, which is why landlords, out-of-province owners and people away for the winter are the ones it catches out.

One more thing worth knowing: the city discontinued its public sandbox service on 1 January 2026 and removed the sandboxes. Sand for your own walk is now on you.

Most properties

48 hours

Schedule B / downtown

24 hours

Clock starts

When snow stops

Standard

To the edges, to the concrete

If ignored

Cost added to your taxes

Have us handle it

To the edges, to the concrete

The city asks for an even, walkable surface — cleared to the edges of the sidewalk and as close to the concrete as you can get, kept free of snow and ice buildup. A narrow track down the middle is not it.

Your property or the curb

Snow from the sidewalk can go on your own property, or along the curb beside the sidewalk as long as it does not interfere with traffic or bury a storm drain. Never into the road.

Notice, then the bill

A Notice of Non-Compliance gives you a new date. Miss that and the city can arrange the clearing itself and apply the cost to your property taxes — reported at around $300.

Landlords and investors

Your tenant is not the property owner. If the sidewalk is not cleared, the notice and the tax charge come to you — which is why sidewalk clearing belongs in the lease or in a contract, not in a hopeful conversation.

Out-of-province owners

A house you inherited or rent out from Alberta still has a 48-hour obligation attached to it every time it snows in Regina.

Corner lots

Two frontages means two sidewalks, and roughly double the work for the same 48 hours.

Downtown commercial

Inside Schedule B the window is 24 hours, not 48 — and a storefront sidewalk is the one most likely to be noticed and reported.

Seniors and anyone injured

The bylaw does not have an exemption for a bad back. Some neighbourhoods run a volunteer Snow Angels program through their community association; where that does not exist, it is a contract or a shovel.

Snowbirds

Away from December to March is exactly the stretch the bylaw covers. A seasonal contract clears the walk whether anyone is home or not.

Who is responsible for clearing the sidewalk in Regina?

The property owner. Under the City of Regina’s Clean Property Bylaw, property owners city-wide must clear the sidewalk next to their property after a snow or ice event — within 48 hours for most properties, and within 24 hours for properties in the Schedule B area, which is primarily downtown.

When does the 48-hour clock start?

The city considers a snow event to have ended when the snow stops falling, and the clock runs from there — not from when you get home, and not from when the street gets plowed.

What counts as properly cleared?

The city asks for an even, walkable surface: cleared to the edges of the sidewalk and as close to the concrete as possible, kept free of snow and ice buildup. A single shovel-width path down the middle is not what the bylaw describes.

Where am I allowed to put the snow?

On your own property, or along the curb next to the sidewalk as long as it does not interfere with traffic or cover a storm drain. You cannot shovel or blow it into the road.

What happens if I do not clear it?

The city can issue a Notice of Non-Compliance with a date to get it done. If it is still not cleared, the city can have the work done and apply the cost to your property taxes — reported at roughly $300.

I am away for the winter. Does the bylaw still apply?

Yes. The obligation follows the property, not whether anyone is living in it, which is why out-of-province owners, landlords and snowbirds are the people it catches out most. A seasonal contract clears the sidewalk whether anyone is home or not.