Hatfield Township

Snow Removal

To help the public works department keep roads safe and clear of snow, take these simple but important steps:

• Remove your vehicle from the road during a snow emergency, which is declared if there is over two inches of snow on the ground. Your vehicle may be towed if it is parked in the street.
• Shovel snow from your driveway or sidewalk onto your front yard, not the street.
• Shovel your sidewalk within 18 hours after the last snowflake falls. If you can't cut through the actual sidewalk, a two-foot wide path on the adjacent grass is permissible.
• Keep non-essential vehicles off the roadways. Non-essential vehicles include 4-wheelers and snowmobiles.
• Pile snow to the right of your driveway when you shovel.
• Align your mailbox face with the back of the curb to avoid contact with the snowplows.
• Remove trash and recycling receptacles, basketball nets, and all other items from the roadway to avoid damages.

Snow Emergency Reference Guide

• Snow Emergencies expire 72 hours after the cessation of the snowfall unless previously cancelled. (same for Township and Borough)
• Borough sidewalk snow and ice removal - 30 inches wide area must be cleared prior to 24 hours after cessation of ice or snow forming/falling.
• Township sidewalk snow and ice removal - 24 inches wide area must be cleared prior to 18 hours after the cessation of ice or snow forming/falling.
• Borough snow parking - no parking on Snow Emergency Routes during Snow Emergencies. Violators must pay $15.00 within 72 hours of violation notice or face full fine.
• Township snow parking - no parking on any street during a Snow Emergency. Violators must pay $15.00 within 72 hours of violation notice or face full fine. The following roads are exempt, as per Ordinance 655:
  • Wendy Way;
  • North Ford Drive;
  • Truman Drive;
  • Grant Avenue;
  • South Ford Drive;
  • Washington Lane;
  • Adams Drive;
  • Roxbury Road;
  • Needham Circle;
  • Stoneham Circle;
  • Hertford Drive - from Elroy Road to Towamencin Avenue;
  • Jean Drive - from Towamencin Avenue to Fairgrounds Road;
  • Truman Drive;
  • Providence Lane;
  • Oxford Court;
  • Towamencin Avenue - from Providence Lane to Forty Foot Road.

State Road Plowing

For snow plowing concerns on the following State roads, please contact PennDOT at 1-888-783-6783.

• Forty Foot Road
• North Broad Street
• Route 309
• County Line Road
• Orvilla Road
• Cowpath Road (from Line Street to the Hatfield Borough line)
• Welsh Road (Route 63)
• Penn Street (From Borough line to Souderton Pike)

USPS Standards for Residential Mailboxes

Ensure that your mailbox meets USPS regulations to avoid contact with the snow plows. The face of the mailbox must be between 6" and 8" back from the curb.Download USPS Mailbox Standards

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Snow Ordinance

It is your responsibility to keep the sidewalk in front of your property clear of both snow and ice within 18 hours of the last snowfall so pedestrians may travel safely. Exact details and penalties are described in the snow ordinance, copied below.

Ordinance 107.1
(Ch. 21, Part 1, of the 1994 Code)
Adopted 11-2-1978

A.
Single-occupancy buildings. The owner, occupant, or tenant of every property abutting upon any of the streets in the Township of Hatfield is hereby required to remove or cause to be removed, from all of the sidewalks in front of or alongside such property, the snow and ice thereof fallen or formed, so as to clear a path for pedestrians at least two feet wide, within 18 hours after the snow shall have ceased to fall or the ice to form. Furthermore, such owner, occupant, or tenant shall keep the hereinbefore designated area free and clear of snow and ice after each removal. The owner of a property shall be responsible for removing the snow and ice where such property is occupied or vacant.

B.
Multiple-occupancy buildings. The owner of a property shall be responsible for removing the snow and ice where such property is occupied by such owner or is unoccupied or vacant, or is a multiple dwelling or multiple business property, designated for occupancy by more than one tenant or occupier. The said owner of a multiple occupancy building is hereby required to remove or cause to be removed, from all of the sidewalks in front of, alongside, and internally located on such property the snow and ice thereon fallen. or formed, so as to clear a path for pedestrians at least two feet wide, within 18 hours after the snow shall have ceased to fall or the ice to form. Furthermore, said owner shall keep free and clear all parking lots and accesses to parking lots on properties with multiple occupancy buildings.

In any case where the owner, occupant, or tenant, as aforesaid, shall fail, neglect, or refuse to comply with any of the provisions of § 246-12 of this article within the time limit prescribed therein, the Township authorities may proceed immediately to clear all snow and/or ice from the sidewalk of such delinquent party, and to collect the expenses thereof, with any additional amount allowed by law, from said owner, occupant, or tenant, as the case may be, which may be in addition to any fine or penalty imposed under § 246-14 of this article.

[Amended 9-28-1994 by Ord. No. 420; 5-22-2002 by Ord. No. 488]

Any person who shall violate any provision of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $600, and costs, and, in default of payment of said fine and costs, to imprisonment for a term not to exceed 30 days. If the violators should, within 72 hours after violation, voluntarily appear at the Hatfield Township Police Building and indicate the desire to plead guilty to the offense charged and pay a fine of $15 to Hatfield Township, no prosecution shall be pursued.