Southington Police Remind Folks Of Storm-Related Laws

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Southington police have announced Monday morning that a parking ban will be in effect from 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, to Tuesday, Feb. 28, until noon.

Amid what has been an unusual winter of mild days and no snow, the local area is preparing for the first major snow event of the season on the last two days of so-called "meteorological winter."

This is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's definitions of the seasons used to calculate weather statistics. Here, "winter" is from Dec. 1 to March 1.

Of course, the calendar says winter ends March 20, so there's still plenty of time for parking bans and cancelations.

And the Southington Police Department issued a bulletin Monday morning reminding folks about what they may face if they leave their vehicles out on the roads or fail or improperly remove snow from their sidewalks/driveways.

Anywhere from 4 to 8 inches of snow is expected to fall, which is short of the major storms of New England's past, but a pretty steep inch total by the winter of 2022-23's standards.

Among the ordinances and penalties, if applicable, are town rules regarding parking and sidewalks as well. They include:

• $10 fines for vehicle operators to allow their vehicle to stand or park on any street in town for more than an hour from midnight to 6 a.m. on any given day.

• Illegally parking during a snowstorm will result in a $10 fine with the town and the towing of their vehicle at the owner's expense as determined by local police.

• Property owners with public sidewalks have 24 hours to shovel and sand their sidewalks upon completion of the storm or face a $95 fine.

• Property owners who throw or plow snow onto public sidewalks and streets face $25 fines.