The Snow Emergency will run through Tuesday morning, meaning on-street parking is prohibited overnight. The City also reminded residents that snow and ice must be removed from sidewalks after the end of the storm.
See the announcement from the City of Watertown below:
The City of Watertown’s declared snow emergency and on-street parking ban is still in effect and will end at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. Cars must be removed from all School parking lots at 6 a.m. and all other City-provided parking lots by 7 a.m. Vehicles not removed promptly will hinder snow removal operations and are subject to towing. We greatly appreciate your cooperation.
As a reminder, property owners are responsible for removing snow and ice from sidewalks after storms. Please help Watertown stay safe and accessible during the winter season, and please do not shovel snow into the street. Visit watertown-ma.gov/shovel to learn more.
All trash and recycling is still delayed one day this week. Pickup will occur from Tuesday, January 27 through Saturday, January 31, 2026.
Please anticipate additional announcements later tonight or early tomorrow morning as this storm progresses. Stay up to date at watertown-ma.gov/snow, on the City’s social media, and by our emergency alert system. We recommend everyone to stay safe and off roads as our DPW continues to work hard to clear Watertown.
Clock’s ticking, Watertown! Ordinances happen while you’re looking the other way.
“The ordinance requires that 42 inches, or the entire sidewalk width, whichever is narrower, must be cleared before the end of the 24-hour period following a storm.
“If the sidewalk has become too icy and hard to remove, the ordinance requires that sand and/or ice melt are put down to make travel reasonably safe.
“If you are not compliant with this ordinance, you may be subject to warnings and fines from the City of Watertown.
“If you notice a sidewalk that has not been cleared within 24 hours after the snowfall ends, please report it by submitting a request through SeeClickFix. These reports are sent directly to our Code Enforcement Officers for follow-up.”
Who needs Flock cameras when we can just inform on each other? What used to be neighborly is now enforceable by warnings and fines. Progress ain’t what it used to be.
My point exactly regarding Flock cameras! Who needs them when you have Seeit-Clickit-Fixit, Ring Cameras, outdoor mounted cameras, HOAs, Neighborhood Watch and the neighbor who is always watching from the window? Big brother has always been us, the people. It was true in 1930s Germany, 1950s America and the Soviet Union. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I see Seeit-Clickit-Fixit as a tool to let the city know about a responsibility that was not fulfilled or a incident requiring services – missed trash pickup, roadkill, pothole, plow the missed neighborhood, etc. Noise, excessive light, illegal driveway sofa on the sidewalk, etc. are nuisances, and such is life – it’s messy. At the same time I strongly support the enforcement of sidewalk shoveling because if car owners have to take cars off the street for safety, then same the safety logic owners removing snow. However, I did not report my neighbor who had not shoveled his sidewalk. Something just does not feel right about it.
I believe it has been mentioned before but checking in on your neighbor comes before reporting on your neighbor. It should go without saying. Lets help one another before we assume that someone is deliberately derelict or irresponsible. After all it could be you that needs the help someday.
Most of my exercise the last couple of days has been from shoveling and more shoveling. This afternoon, I got a quick walk in. Almost no houses in the ‘hood, mine included, meet all criteria in the shoveling ordinance. And I blame no one but the drafters of this ordinance. A three-inch dusting is easy to remove, and will melt in a couple of days. This was quite a storm, but after 30 winters in Watertown, I rate “Fern” (give me a break with these winter storm names) only among the worst. Not THE worst. We were due, but the ordinance, not the storm, was to blame for every house being “out of compliance”. Let’s look at the numbers: a 42”-wide track (required under the new ordinance) is 18”, or a foot and a half, wider than a 24″-wide track. Say the snow was also 18” deep (it was, wasn’t it?). That makes an EXTRA 18” squared, or 2 1/4 cubic feet for every linear foot of snow. You have to lift it, and you have to find somewhere to put it. No wonder we all (almost all) failed. And I couldn’t be more proud of my neighbors. Legislating courtesy and decency into an ordinance makes convicts of us all.