Colorado Department of Transportation reminds all property owners, renters and private snow removal operators that it is against the law to deposit snow onto or next to a public highway.
Colorado law (Statute 43-5-301) prohibits the plowing, blowing, shoveling or otherwise placing of snow onto public roads and rights of way areas along the road.
The illegal placement of snow on a public road creates hazards such as frozen ruts or bumps that can contribute to motor vehicle crashes. Other hazards created by the improper placement of snow on or near a public road include drainage problems, sight obstruction and hindered highway accessibility.
CDOT snowplow operations take place during and after a snowstorm, with trucks and equipment covering more than 3,500 lane miles of roads in Region 5 (Southwest Colorado) alone. Broad clearing of snow is often necessary to widen roads to ensure that ice and snow melts from the pavement surface.
Violations are considered misdemeanors, but civil penalties also apply if hazards contribute to a motor vehicle crash or pedestrian injury. The civil liability can extend to both the property owner and the person who placed the snow in the road or right of way.
For more information, visit www.codot.gov/travel/snow-removal.
