A sidewalk adjacent to your property in Bend comes with an obligation, a built-in chore anytime it snows. Shovel it clean.

Within 24 hours after a snowfall, residential sidewalks need to be cleared of snow and ice. Commercial property owners have to act faster, clearing the sidewalks within six daylight hours. It doesn’t matter if a city snowplow just deposited a berm on the sidewalk, either.

The Bend police department is not going to have drones overhead scouring the city for violations. But the city’s code enforcement has issued tickets in the past for repeat residential offenders for $200. What the city really wants is cleared sidewalks, though, not to issue tickets.

There are private contractors who can help people clear their sidewalks for a price. The city provides a list here: tinyurl.com/Bendshovel.