Shoveling/Snow Blowing Into The Street In Illinois–Legal Or Not?

I've wondered about this off and on for several years, especially when I see someone in my neighborhood aiming the discharge chute on their snowblower out into the street as they clear off their driveway, then going inside once the driveway was clear and leaving the mess in the street behind.

It's not something that the majority of my neighbors do, but we have a fairly large neighborhood, and you'll see someone doing that every time we get a notable snowfall during the winter.

Then, you'll get the people who don't care where they blow the snow, as long as it's no longer on their driveway and/or sidewalks. I've watched while one neighbor used his snowblower to launch every bit of snow on his driveway directly onto his next door neighbor's driveway (and the cars that were parked there).

Is it rude? Absolutely. Is it illegal? Well, about that...

To Partially Answer The Question About Whether Blowing Or Shoveling Snow Onto The Street In Illinois Is Legal Or Illegal, I Can Tell You That The State Of Illinois Does Not Have A Law About That On The Books In Springfield

So, the bottom-line is that there's no state law against it in Illinois...but...and there is a but...Illinois cities and towns may have their own laws against it.

In Chicago, it's illegal to dump snow into the street, same goes for Evanston, Aurora, Naperville, Oak Park, and many others. Even if some cities and towns don't have a specific law prohibiting snow going into the street, almost all have rules about blocking sidewalks and creating a hazard for vehicles on the roadways.

Even if there's no law against blowing or shoveling snow into the street, if you do that and an auto accident occurs because of it, you could find yourself in some hot water with local authorities.

There Is One Other Snow-Related Thing That Could Get You Into Trouble Here In Illinois

That thing would be blowing or shoveling snow onto your neighbor's driveway or yard. Here in Illinois, you could be find yourself face-to-face with law enforcement and charged with trespassing for dumping snow onto any part of your neighbor's property without their permission.

Most Illinois municipalities have a statute regarding snow dumping, and you'll probably be ticketed and fined for trespassing and illegal dumping.

Speaking of that, take a look at this guy's story about getting in trouble for helping: