Snow Removal at a Grande Prairie Rental: Is the Landlord or Tenant Responsible?
The first real snowfall in Grande Prairie tends to settle a question many rental owners never answered on paper: who is supposed to shovel? If the lease is silent, a tenant may assume the landlord is handling it, the landlord may assume the tenant is, and the sidewalk stays buried until a bylaw officer, a neighbour, or someone who slipped brings it up.
This guide explains who is responsible for snow removal at a Grande Prairie rental property, what the City's bylaw actually requires, how Alberta's Occupiers' Liability Act treats snow and ice, and how to write the responsibility into your lease so it holds up. It is general information, not legal advice, and every rule below comes from a public source listed at the end of the article.
The short answer: it depends on the lease, but the owner never fully escapes it
Alberta's Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) does not contain a section titled "snow removal." Instead, the answer comes from three places working together: your residential tenancy agreement, the City of Grande Prairie's Traffic Bylaw, and the Occupiers' Liability Act.
Service Alberta's own guidance fills the gap when a lease says nothing. Its RTA quick reference guide states that, if the agreement does not speak to the issue, the landlord is usually responsible for the building structure and systems, and that this also includes the common areas, "unless the parties agree otherwise," listing parking areas, sidewalks, and landscaping, including lawn care and snow removal. In other words, a silent lease generally leaves the shovel with you.
You and your tenant can agree to something different, and for single-family homes that is very common. But as the next sections show, shifting the chore to a tenant does not automatically shift every consequence.
What Grande Prairie's bylaw requires: 24 hours
The City's Traffic Bylaw C-1166 sets the rule for public sidewalks. Section 38.1 says every occupant, or owner, of property adjacent to a sidewalk must remove snow or ice from that sidewalk, and the removal must be completed within 24 hours following the most recent snowfall. The only exception is sidewalks the City itself clears under its Snow Removal and Ice Control Policy. The City repeats the 24-hour rule in its 2025–2026 snow clearing guide.
A few other parts of the bylaw matter to rental owners:
Where the snow goes. Snow from private property cannot be placed on the road or other public property (s. 37.1), and sidewalk snow cannot be pushed onto the roadway unless moving it onto private property is impractical (s. 38.2). The City asks residents to pile it on the sides of the driveway or lawn.
Roofs and eaves. If a building sits within three metres of a road and snow or ice builds up on the roof, eaves, or downspouts in a way that could endanger vehicles or pedestrians, the owner or occupant must remove the hazard (s. 39).
Fines. The bylaw's fine schedule lists $100 for failing to clean a sidewalk, $100 for pushing sidewalk snow onto the road, and $100 for failing to clear snow from eaves. The City has said it takes an education-first approach, but a fine is still possible.
Clearing at your cost. If the sidewalk is not cleared, section 38.4 allows the City to clear it and charge the cost against the owner or occupant of the adjacent property. If the bill is not paid, it can be added to the property's tax roll.
That last point is the one owners miss. The bylaw names "occupant, or owner," so a tenant can be responsible. But an unpaid clearing charge can land on the tax roll, and the tax roll belongs to the owner. If your rental is outside city limits, the County of Grande Prairie's Community Standards Bylaw sets a similar 24-hour expectation for owners and occupants, so check which municipality your property is in.
Who is liable if someone slips on your rental property?
Fines are small. Injury claims are not, which is why liability is the real reason to get snow removal right.
Alberta's Occupiers' Liability Act says an occupier must take the care that is reasonable in all the circumstances to see that visitors will be reasonably safe in using the premises (s. 5). That duty covers the condition of the premises, including icy steps, walkways, and driveways (s. 6).
The Act defines "occupier" in two ways: a person in physical possession of the premises, or a person who has responsibility for and control over the condition of the premises. It then adds that there may be more than one occupier of the same premises. A tenant living in a house is in physical possession. A landlord who has kept responsibility for exterior maintenance, or who controls a shared walkway or parking lot, may also be an occupier. Depending on the facts, both can be pulled into the same claim.
Two other sections are worth knowing before you rely on a lease clause or a sign. Section 9 says a warning, on its own, does not absolve an occupier unless it is enough to let the visitor be reasonably safe, so a "Caution: Ice" sign does not replace sanding. Section 4 says the Act does not apply to highways managed by a municipality. Falls on a city-controlled public sidewalk are generally handled under different rules: the Municipal Government Act (s. 531) makes a municipality liable for injuries caused by snow and ice on roads or sidewalks only if it is grossly negligent, and the injured person must notify the municipality within 21 days. Whether an adjacent owner who breaks the bylaw can also be sued over a public-sidewalk fall depends on the circumstances, so ask a lawyer if it ever happens.
Reasonable does not mean perfect
Courts do not expect bare pavement all winter. A 2024 New Brunswick decision, Morton v Woodside Realty Inc., 2024 NBKB 64, is a useful illustration that Alberta lawyers have pointed to. A tenant slipped on an ice patch in her apartment building's parking lot the day after a snowfall. The owner's snow removal contractor had inspected the lot and salted parts of it that day, but not the spot where she fell. The court found the owner had met the standard of care: ice is expected in a Canadian winter, and a reasonable inspection and maintenance program that is actually applied can be enough. It was not reasonable to expect salt around every parked car.
Field Law, writing about the case for Alberta property owners, drew the same lesson: the presence of snow and ice alone is not negligence, but your best defence is a real, documented snow and ice program. Courts outside Alberta are not binding here, and every case turns on its own facts, but the practical point carries over. What protects an owner is a plan that is followed and recorded, not a promise in the lease.
Single-family homes vs. multi-unit rentals
Single-family homes and duplexes. It is common, and generally allowed, for the lease to make the tenant responsible for shovelling the driveway, walkways, steps, and the public sidewalk in front of the home. That works best when the tenant has the physical ability and the equipment to do it, and when the lease says so in plain words.
Basement suites and up-down duplexes. Shared entrances and shared sidewalks are where responsibility gets blurry. If two households use the same walkway and neither lease assigns it, Service Alberta's guidance points back to the landlord. Assign each area by name, or keep the shared areas yourself. Our guide to legal secondary suites in Grande Prairie covers other shared-space issues in suite properties.
Apartments, townhouses, and condos. In multi-unit buildings, the landlord or the condo corporation almost always keeps the common walkways, parking lots, and entrances, because no single tenant controls them. If you rent out a condo unit, the condominium corporation typically handles common-property snow clearing under its bylaws, but your tenant may still be responsible for a private patio or assigned stall. Our article on renting out a condo in Grande Prairie explains how condo bylaws interact with a tenancy.
How to write snow removal into your lease
Alberta's own "Information for Tenants" checklist tells renters to ask who shovels the snow and who supplies the equipment before they sign. Answer that question before they have to ask. A clear clause should cover:
Exactly which areas the tenant clears: driveway, front walk, steps, back entrance, and the public sidewalk adjacent to the property.
The deadline, tied to the City's 24-hour rule, so the tenant's obligation is never looser than the bylaw.
Ice control: whether the tenant must sand or salt, and who supplies the sand, ice melt, and shovels.
Roof and eaves: which hazards the tenant should report rather than tackle. Most owners should not ask tenants to climb onto a roof.
What happens if the tenant does not do it: for example, that the landlord may arrange clearing and recover a reasonable, documented cost, and that a City clearing charge or fine caused by the tenant's failure will be passed on.
Absences: who clears snow while the tenant is away for an extended period.
Put the clause in the written agreement, not a separate text message, and walk through it at move-in. Our overview of key terms for an Alberta lease agreement covers the rest of the document. If a tenant ignores the clause and costs follow, Alberta's Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service (RTDRS) is the usual route for recovering them.
If you keep snow removal yourself, or hire a contractor
Many owners decide it is simpler to keep snow removal, especially for multi-unit properties, older tenants, or homes where the owner lives out of town. If you do:
Hire carefully and keep records. The Occupiers' Liability Act (s. 11) says an occupier is not liable for damage caused by an independent contractor's negligence if the occupier used reasonable care in selecting and supervising the contractor. That protection depends on you being able to show you chose and monitored a competent contractor.
Get the contract in writing. Confirm the trigger (for example, a set snowfall depth), the response time, whether sanding is included, and which areas are covered. Ask for proof of the contractor's liability insurance.
Log visits. Dated photos or contractor service logs are exactly the kind of inspection-and-maintenance record that helped the owner in Morton.
Do not forget vacant periods. A vacant property still has an owner under the bylaw, and an empty, unshovelled house also signals that no one is home. Our article on the risks of a vacant property covers the other winter exposures.
Check your insurance before the first big storm
Slip-and-fall claims are a liability risk, so the liability section of your rental policy is what responds if someone is hurt. Confirm your landlord policy includes premises liability at a limit you are comfortable with, and require tenant insurance with its own liability coverage in the lease. Tell your insurer if your arrangements change. Our guide to landlord insurance in Alberta walks through what to review, and our article on preparing your rental property for winter covers the gutters, pipes, and furnace checks that belong on the same fall to-do list.
A simple winter checklist for Grande Prairie rental owners
Read your current lease and confirm it names who clears each area.
Make sure the tenant's deadline matches the City's 24-hour rule.
Confirm shovels, a sand or ice-melt supply, and a place to pile snow on the property.
Check roof lines and eaves near the street for ice build-up risk.
Book a contractor early if you are keeping snow removal, and keep the written agreement and service records.
Plan coverage for vacancies and tenant absences.
Confirm premises liability coverage and that tenants have proof of tenant insurance on file.
Let Sutton keep winter off your list
Snow removal is a small chore with an outsized downside if it falls through the cracks between landlord and tenant. Sutton Property Management manages rental properties across Grande Prairie, from marketing and tenant screening to rent collection and day-to-day tenant communication. Learn more about our Grande Prairie property management services, or contact our office to talk about your rental before the next snowfall.
Sources: City of Grande Prairie, Traffic Bylaw C-1166 (office consolidation May 5, 2025), ss. 37.1, 38.1–38.4, 39 and fine schedule; City of Grande Prairie, "Grande Prairie Snow Clearing 2025–2026 Guide"; City of Grande Prairie, "Residents Reminded to Clear Snow and Ice from Sidewalks" (2022); County of Grande Prairie, Community Standards Bylaw information page; Occupiers' Liability Act, RSA 2000, c O-4, ss. 1, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11; Municipal Government Act, RSA 2000, c M-26, s. 531; Service Alberta, Residential Tenancies Act Quick Reference Guide; Service Alberta, "Information for Tenants"; Morton v Woodside Realty Inc., 2024 NBKB 64, as summarized by Field Law, "Braving Alberta Winters: Occupier's Liability for Property Owners" (December 2024). This article is general information, not legal advice. Bylaws and fines change, so confirm current rules with the City of Grande Prairie or a lawyer.