[Adopted 10-7-2002, effective 11-2-2002; amended in its entirety by Town Meeting 6-8-2020]
The following words shall, unless the context requires otherwise,
be construed and understood as follows:
Any portion of the street, usually lying on either side thereof,
between the curb and the adjacent property line, intended for the
use of pedestrians by virtue of having been improved by pavement whether
of asphalt, concrete or stone.
Includes avenues, boulevards, highways, roads, alleys, lanes,
viaducts, bridges and the approaches thereto and all of the public
thoroughfares in the Town and means all that part thereof from property
line to property line of the premises abutting thereon.
A.
Duty to remove. Any fall of snow or sleet upon any sidewalk in the
Town or any ice upon such sidewalks shall be removed by the owner,
occupant or person having the care, maintenance or rental of the land,
building or premises adjoining or fronting upon such sidewalk or connected
therewith.
B.
Time within which snow is to be removed. Such removal of snow or sleet as provided for in Subsection A above shall be made within 24 hours following the cessation of the fall of snow or sleet, or 36 hours on weekends.
C.
Unremovable snow to be made safe. If snow, sleet or ice cannot be wholly removed as provided in Subsection B above; the owner, occupant or person having the care, maintenance or rental of such premises shall remove so much thereof as is reasonably possible and sprinkle sufficient sand or other proper substance in such quantity over the entire surface of the unremovable snow, sleet or ice remaining upon such sidewalk as may be required to keep the same in safe condition for public travel at all times.
D.
Penalty for failure to remove. Any person who violates or refuses
or neglects to comply with the provisions of the preceding subsections
shall be punished by a fine of not more than $25 for a first violation,
$100 for a second violation and $100 for each subsequent violation.
Each day of failure to comply with the requirements of this article
shall constitute a separate offense.
E.
Town to clear sidewalks at owner's expense. In addition to any other penalty provided by law, if any owner or occupant fails to comply with the provisions of Subsections B and C above, the Department of Public Works and its employees may clean and remove all snow and ice from such sidewalks. The expense of such removal shall be a lien upon the premises adjoining and abutting on such sidewalks, and the Board of Selectmen may cause a certificate of lien therefor to be recorded in the Town Clerk's office within 60 days after such removal.
F.
Foreclosure of lien. The expense of cleaning and removal of snow and ice by the Department of Public Works as provided in Subsection F above and the cost of the lien therefor may be entered in the next succeeding rate bill for taxes against the owner of the premises with the tax assessed upon such premises, and, if such expense and such cost of lien is paid with such taxes, the lien shall be discharged; if not so paid, the lien may be foreclosed in the manner provided by law for the foreclosure of other liens for local improvements.
A.
Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 13a-149 of the Connecticut
General Statutes or any other general statute or special act, the
Town of Ellington shall not be liable to any person injured in person
or property caused by the presence of ice or snow on a public sidewalk
unless the Town of Ellington is the owner or person in possession
and control of land abutting such sidewalk, other than land used as
a highway or street, provided the Town of Ellington shall be liable
for its affirmative acts with respect to such sidewalk.
B.
The owner or person in possession and control of land abutting a
public sidewalk shall have the same duty of care with respect to the
presence of ice or snow on such sidewalk toward the portion of the
sidewalk abutting his property as the municipality had prior to the
effective date of this article adopted pursuant to the provisions
of Connecticut General Statutes Sec. 7-163a and shall be liable to
persons injured in person or property where a breach of said duty
is the proximate cause of said injury.
C.
No action to recover damages for injury to the person or to property
caused by the presence of ice or snow on a public sidewalk against
a person who owns or is in possession and control of land abutting
a public sidewalk shall be brought but within two years from the date
when the injury is first sustained.
