Richmond shifts icy sidewalk duty from renters to landlords

The latest: City Council changed the city code on Monday night to put the onus explicitly on owners of properties with three or more units.

• For most other occupied buildings, the responsibility falls to the tenant, who has to clear the snow or ice within six hours of it stopping — or by 11am if it stops overnight.
• Violators now face a $100 civil fine, instead of a criminal misdemeanor.
• The ordinance also allows the city to waive penalties during declared emergencies.

Catch up quick: City officials were largely relying on residents, landlords or warmer temperatures to resolve the pedestrian safety hazard in January.

• At the time, city code required tenants to get rid of the snow even if they were only renters. But the code didn't explicitly mention ice.
• And residents flooded 311 to say their landlord or apartment complex hadn't begun clearing the surrounding sidewalks.
• That put tenants "who may not have the capacity to have shovels, etc., stored on site" in a difficult spot, said councilwoman Katherine Jordan.

Sabrina's thought bubble: The ice from January's storm required a jackhammer more so.