Lawrence property owners have until 8 a.m. Thursday to clear public sidewalks of snow after it stopped snowing Monday night.

Code enforcement manager Brian Jimenez said the city typically starts the clock the morning after snowfall stops. City code requires snow or ice to be removed within 48 hours of the end of a snowfall or ice event.

The current ordinance took effect in December 2008, and the city’s development services division inspects properties once it receives a complaint.

Last winter the city issued about 200 tickets and received about 790 complaints. The fine for a violation is $20 per day, plus court costs.

Jimenez said inspectors do use discretion if they notice a snow plow has moved snow and ice from the street onto a sidewalk that someone has shoveled. He said they can generally tell the difference between dirty snow and ice from the street and a blanket of white snow on a sidewalk.

“We’re not in to citing people who have done their job,” Jimenez said.

In the event the removal of ice is impossible, property owners are required to place sand on the sidewalk within 48 hours.