---
title: Chilliwack snow clearing and sidewalk shovelling rules
question: "Who clears snow, and do I have to shovel my sidewalk?"
place: Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/chilliwack
category: Water, sewer, roads and snow
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Chilliwack
sources_read: 2026-11-11
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/chilliwack/snow-removal/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/chilliwack/snow-removal.json"
---

# Chilliwack snow clearing and sidewalk shovelling rules

**Question:** Who clears snow, and do I have to shovel my sidewalk?

**Short answer:** In Chilliwack, the City's Public Works and Parks Department clears designated City roads in strict priority order. You must clear the sidewalk next to your property by noon the day after snow falls. The Highway and Traffic Bylaw ticket is $50. Call Operations at 604-793-2810.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Chilliwack, https://www.chilliwack.com)  
**Cost:** Free.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Operations Department, 604-793-2810
- Phone: After hours emergencies only, 604-792-2233
- Phone: Snow Angels (volunteer help for seniors or people with disabilities), 604-793-9979

## Key facts

- **Sidewalk clearing:** Every owner or occupier of property next to a sidewalk, public footpath or multi-use path must clear snow and ice from it. City crews clear sidewalks next to City buildings and the downtown transit terminus; stratas clear sidewalks next to their common property.
  - Source: [Highway and Traffic Bylaw 2019, No. 4686 (consolidated July 2, 2025), s. 18(1)](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=1090)
  - Official wording: "Every owner or occupier of real property adjacent to a Boulevard, Sidewalk, Multi-Use Path," … "remove snow and ice from the Sidewalk, public footpath, or Multi-Use Path as soon"
  - Source: [Sidewalks (snow and ice)](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=2292)
  - Official wording: "Sidewalks adjacent to municipal properties and facilities and at the downtown transit terminus, snow and ice will be removed by City crews." … "Stratas are required to clear sidewalks adjacent to the strata's common property."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-05
- **Deadline:** As soon as practicable after the snow, ice or frost lands, and in any case no later than noon on the day after it lands.
  - Source: [Highway and Traffic Bylaw 2019, No. 4686 (consolidated July 2, 2025), s. 18(1)](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=1090)
  - Official wording: "deposit, but in any case no later than noon on the day following its deposit"
  - Source: [Sidewalks (snow and ice)](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=2292)
  - Official wording: "requires that all owners of real property clear the sidewalk adjacent to their property by noon the day following a snowfall event"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-05
- **Road plowing order:** Roads are sorted into four priorities by traffic volume, emergency response needs, hillside access and other safety issues, and are cleared in strict priority order as resources allow. The City does not clear to bare pavement. The page does not describe the four levels; they are in the City's address lookup tool.
  - Source: [Winter Operations, About Snow and Ice Control](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=361)
  - Official wording: "Roads are categorized into four priorities based on the volume of the traffic on the roads, emergency response requirements, hillside access, and other safety related issues." … "Roads are cleared and maintained as resources are available and in strict priority order."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-05
- **Winter parking rules:** None set. The Highway and Traffic Bylaw sets no snow-specific parking ban; the City only asks residents to park off-street where possible so plows can pass.
- **Putting snow on the road:** The City asks residents not to shovel snow onto the street, and to pile it to the right of the driveway (facing the street). The bylaw does not mention snow in its list of things banned on a highway.
  - Source: [How You Can Help During Winter Weather, Shovel Snow onto Your Lawn, Not the Street](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=471)
  - Official wording: "Do not shovel snow onto the street." … "Pile snow to the right of your driveway (when facing the street)"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-12
- **Who to call:** Operations Department, 604-793-2810 (Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). After-hours urgent Public Works concerns (evenings, weekends, statutory holidays), 604-792-2233. Snow Angels volunteer help for seniors or people with disabilities, 604-793-9979.
  - Source: [Information for Seniors](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=2289)
  - Official wording: "604-793-2810 Monday- Friday 7am-4:30 pm" … "604-792-2233 evenings, weekends, statutory holidays"
  - Source: [Sidewalks (snow and ice)](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=2292)
  - Official wording: "You can request assistance by calling 604-793-9979."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-05
- **Fine:** $50 under the Highway and Traffic Bylaw, s. 18(1) ($40 if paid within 14 days, $60 if paid after 28 days). The Community Standards Bylaw, s. 14(5), covers the same failure at $200 ($190 early, $210 late). (Sources differ: Two bylaws make the same failure an offence with different tickets. The City page cites the Highway and Traffic Bylaw, so its $50 is shown first.)
  - Source: [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw 2018, No. 4573 (consolidated April 21, 2026), Schedule A, Highway and Traffic Bylaw 4686](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=2436)
  - Official wording: "Snow Not Removed 18(1) 50.00 40.00 60.00 Yes"
  - Source: [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw 2018, No. 4573 (consolidated April 21, 2026), Schedule A, Community Standards Bylaw 5041](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=2436)
  - Official wording: "Failure to Remove Snow or Ice 14(5) 200.00 190.00 210.00 Yes"
  - Source: [Community Standards Bylaw 2021, No. 5041 (consolidated to May 2, 2023), s. 14(5)](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=6284)
  - Official wording: "remove all snow and ice from the Sidewalk or public footpath as soon as"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-05
- **Bylaw:** Highway and Traffic Bylaw 2019, No. 4686 (s. 18). The Community Standards Bylaw 2021, No. 5041 (s. 14(5)) has a matching rule.
  - Source: [Highway and Traffic Bylaw 2019, No. 4686 (consolidated July 2, 2025), s. 18](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=1090)
  - Official wording: "Every owner or occupier of real property adjacent to a Boulevard, Sidewalk, Multi-Use Path,"
  - Source: [How You Can Help During Winter Weather, Clear Sidewalks](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=471)
  - Official wording: "under the City’s Highway and Traffic Bylaw."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-05

## How it works

In Chilliwack, the City's Public Works and Parks Department handles snow and ice control on designated City roads and sidewalks. Roads fall into four priority levels, and are cleared as resources allow and in strict priority order. The City aims to improve driving conditions, not to clear roads to bare pavement.

## Good to know

- Sidewalks next to City buildings and the downtown transit terminus are cleared by the City. For all other sidewalks, the adjacent owner or tenant must clear them. Stratas clear sidewalks next to their common property.
- [Bylaw 4686](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=1090) requires owners and occupiers to clear snow and ice from the sidewalk, footpath or multi-use path beside their property as soon as practicable, and no later than noon on the day after it falls.
- The ticket is $50 under that bylaw ($40 if paid within 14 days, $60 after 28 days). The Community Standards Bylaw has a matching rule with a $200 ticket, so the amount you face may differ.
- The City asks you not to shovel snow onto the street, and to park off-street where possible so plows can pass. It lists no snow-specific parking ban.
- Snow Angels are volunteers from the Chilliwack Seniors Resource Society who help seniors and people with disabilities. Call 604-793-9979.
- On hillside roads during a winter storm, vehicles must have winter-rated tires (at least 3.5 mm tread and M&S or the mountain/snowflake symbol) when digital roadside signs say so. A $300 penalty can apply if a vehicle without them becomes stranded.
- Look up your road's priority on the City's "What Priority is My Road?" page.
- To report a problem with snow or ice on a City road, call Operations at 604-793-2810 (Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), or 604-792-2233 after hours for urgent concerns.
- For provincial highway conditions, the City refers people to DriveBC.

## Official forms and pages

- [Winter Operations, City of Chilliwack](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=361)
- [What Priority is My Road?](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=2291)
- [Highway and Traffic Bylaw 4686 (PDF)](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=1090)

## Sources

- [Winter Operations, City of Chilliwack](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=361) (read 2026-11-11)
- [Sidewalks (snow and ice), City of Chilliwack](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=2292) (read 2026-11-11)
- [How You Can Help During Winter Weather, City of Chilliwack](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=471) (read 2026-11-11)
- [Information for Seniors, City of Chilliwack](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=2289) (read 2026-11-11)
- [Tire Requirements for Hillside Roads During Snow Events, City of Chilliwack](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=2866) (read 2026-11-11)
- [Highway and Traffic Bylaw 2019, No. 4686 (PDF) (consolidated July 2, 2025)](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=1090) (read 2026-11-11)
- [Community Standards Bylaw 2021, No. 5041 (PDF) (consolidated to May 2, 2023)](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=6284) (read 2026-11-11)
- [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw 2018, No. 4573 (PDF) (consolidated April 21, 2026)](https://www.chilliwack.com/main/attachments/attachView.cfm?attachID=2436) (read 2026-11-11)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 7 of 8 facts was matched to the official text; 1 is recorded as not set. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of Chilliwack. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/chilliwack/snow-removal/_