Sidewalk Plowing

Responsibilities

The Village of Northbrook is responsible for snow removal of approximately 40 miles of sidewalks on arterial/collector roads, school zones, central business district (CBD) and certain carriage walks. These sidewalks include those along major roadways that are used by children to get to school, commuters to get to the train station and the public for shopping and recreational purposes.

To see a map of Village-maintained sidewalks, please use the Know Your Neighborhood webmapping tool at this link. To zoom to your property, hit your address in the box in the upper left-hand corner.

Program Service Level

Sidewalks are plowed concurrently with other snow plowing operations. Downtown carriage walks are cleared on both sides of the street while most arterial/collector road sidewalks are currently plowed on one side only. All sidewalks are cleared to width of 4 to 5 feet or wider in areas such as the CBD. With the exception of the Cherry Lane underpass, most sidewalks are not salted. Depending on the severity and duration of the storm and available staff and equipment, sidewalk clearance can take several days to complete. Sidewalk plowing is subject to staff and equipment availability and is considered a secondary priority to public roadways, municipal facilities, and commuter parking lots.

Industry/Village Standard

The Village will plow a single path 4 to 5 feet wide on sidewalks on one side of the designated arterial/collector roads, downtown and east side carriage walks and designated school zones. Sidewalk in the CBD is typically plowed full width and may require hauling out of snow after major accumulations for car door access.

Reporting a Concern

If you have a concern about snow or ice on a sidewalk, please submit it via the GONorthbrook Service Request system. Please note that there is no municipal ordinance requiring that an individual shovel their sidewalk. However, State law does offer some liability protections for those who make a good faith effort to clear their sidewalks in case someone is injured on that stretch of sidewalk.