Suzetta Large gave her 5-year-old daughter a snow shovel for Christmas, and the two have had plenty of opportunities since to clear the sidewalk in front of their Squirrel Hill home.

Her daughter loves the work, and it's easy. "Shoveling the walk takes two minutes," Ms. Large said. But not everybody does it. "The people who don't shovel, never shovel."

In Pittsburgh, the people who don't shovel may get warned -- but very rarely fined. Some suburban communities take a stricter line. And if someone is injured on an icy sidewalk, the property owner could end up in court.

The city code requires that owners or tenants of property clear their sidewalks within 24 hours "after the fall of any snow or sleet, or the accumulation of ice caused by freezing rainfall." The fine for a violation is $25.

Last year, the city issued around 300 warnings for failure to clear walks, according to Bennett Carlise, Department of Public Works operations manager. In the past week, the city issued another 31.

Usually, such efforts are driven by a call to the 311 help line, with neighbor reporting neighbor. "People use this for feuds," Mr. Carlisle said.

To avoid becoming tools for local Hatfields and McCoys, public works inspectors looking into icy sidewalk complaints walk the block and issue warnings to all owners with snowy or icy walks. Technically, failure to comply promptly can result in a citation and fine.

Last year, though, the city issued fewer than a half dozen citations, all to businesses, said Mr. Carlise. Officials don't want to levy fines on seniors and the disabled who might not be able to clear sidewalks, he said.

Ms. Large said she can understand that. "Maybe they're in the hospital. Maybe they're old. Maybe they're depressed." She sometimes shovels in front of neighbors' houses, and sometimes they shovel for her.

In Mt. Lebanon, it's police, rather than public works employees, who look out for icy sidewalks. Officers write citations, usually against absentee property owners, and the district judge can fine $5 to $300, said police Lt. Aaron Lauth.

"We are a walking community. The kids walk to and from school," he said. "We find it an important safety issue."

Mt. Lebanon residents have 24 hours to clear snow after an inch of snow falls, while businesses have just four hours during business days.

Attorney Edgar Snyder joked yesterday that he has seen so many icy sidewalks lately that he may make a new commercial about them.

"I think that over 50 percent of all the neighborhoods I go into, people don't clear their sidewalks," he said. Anyone injured on an icy sidewalk can sue the property owner, he said, and depending on the damages, can recover substantial money. Homeowners insurance covers such cases, but if damages go beyond the limits in the policy, the owner can be liable for the balance.

A homeowner who gets the walk shovelled in the time frame outlined in their municipality's code can use that as a defense in court, he said.

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