Shoveling Requirements DC law requires residential and commercial property owners to remove snow/ice from the sidewalks around their property within the first eight hours of daylight after a storm ends. Otherwise, commercial property owners may be fined $150, and residential property owners may be fined $25.

Avoid overexertion such as shoveling heavy snow, pushing a car or walking in deep snow if you are not in good health. The strain from the cold and the hard labor may cause a heart attack. Sweating could lead to a chill and hypothermia.

The Snow Winter of 1880–1881 The winter of 1880–1881 is widely considered the most severe winter ever known in many parts of the United States. The initial blizzard in October 1880 brought snowfalls so deep that two-story homes experienced accumulations, as opposed to drifts, up to their second-floor windows.