Staten Island home-renovation contractors advise property owners of obligation

 to New York City’s snow and ice removal requirements

If you have followed earlier advice from the Home Improvement Contractors of Staten Island (NARI-HIC), your home is prepared to withstand the winter of 2016. Now you can sit back, relax and not worry about harsh weather conditions – but not entirely, says the organization.

Mother Nature and well-intended New York City regulations combine to pose additional winter-time challenges, cautions the local chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

Although not a structural part of your house, the sidewalks adjacent to your home are your responsibility to maintain, and the task of clearing pathways covered in snow is your obligation, the organization explains.

On Staten Island and elsewhere in New York City, residential and commercial property owners are not commanded to shovel while snow is falling, but are charged with the task of removing snow and ice from sidewalks in the aftermath of a snowfall to create a pedestrian path.  Snow and ice must additionally be removed from sidewalks next to bus stops and hydrants.

TIMETABLE FOR CLEARING SIDEWALKS

The city provides property owners with very specific time-related windows of opportunity for effectively shoveling sidewalks and averting a summons for non-compliance.

If, for example, snow stops falling between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., sidewalks must be cleared within 4 hours; if snow ceases between 5 and 9 p.m., sidewalks must be cleared within 14 hours, and if the snowfall concludes between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., sidewalks need to be cleared by 11 a.m.

TIP FOR SAFE SHOVELING

When shoveling, NARI-HIC recommends following these safety tips from the National Safety Council:

  • Do not shovel after eating or while smoking

  • Take it slow and stretch out before you begin

  • Shovel only fresh, powdery snow; it’s lighter

  • Push the snow rather than lifting it

  • If you do lift it, use a small shovel or only partially fill the shovel

  • Lift with your legs, not your back

  • Do not work to the point of exhaustion

About the Home Improvement Contractors of Staten Island (NARI-HIC)

The Home Improvement Contractors of Staten Island (NARI-HIC) is a nonprofit trade organization whose mission is to educate consumers on the importance of hiring licensed, insured and reputable contractors. NARI-HIC fosters a membership of reputable contracting firms dedicated to honesty, integrity, responsibility, unrelenting professionalism, quality workmanship and customer satisfaction. The organization prides itself on supporting the Staten Island community and local non-profit organizations to enhance the borough’s quality of life.

NARI-HIC may be reached at 718-356-2323 or [email protected] and visited online at www.hicofsi.org.

Media Contact: Barton Horowitz

Relevant Public Relations, LLC

Headquarters: 718‑682‑1509

Mobile: 917‑715‑8761

Email: [email protected]