MADISON, Wis. -- City of Madison inspectors began handing out fines to people who didn't have their sidewalks shoveled at noon on Tuesday, although some city sidewalks were not cleared.

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Some homeowners might have found a notice on their front door Tuesday, which means a city inspector stopped by, took photos and that a ticket is in the mail.

A first offense will cost homeowners about $109. A second offense costs about $172. Also, if the city tickets homeowners, inspectors will come back the next day to make sure snow is cleared. If it isn't, city workers will clear the snow and send that bill to the homeowner as well.

"It's safety and you have a duty as a property owner to keep your sidewalk safe and clean," said Tom Adamowicz, lead worker with City Housing Inspection.

But a check by WISC-TV found that some city sidewalks had not yet been cleared of snow of Tuesday afternoon.

Adamowicz said the city won't be fining itself.

"No, we don't inspect that. We would call them if we found one that wasn't done, whether it's parks or engineering and have them take a look at it," Adamowicz said.

But for some homeowners, it can be difficult to shovel all the snow that fell over the weekend.

Madison homeowner Bob Ryan, 84, said he had trouble with his snowblower on Tuesday, and although his sidewalk was cleared, he needed help getting out of his driveway to get to a doctor.

"That stuff is ice, and I had to chop it out with a shovel first. It's tough," Ryan said. "(City officials) demand one thing, but on the service end they're a little short."

Inspectors said that they want to see homeowners at least make an effort to clear off sidewalks, and that if snow hasn't been touched since the storm, homeowners could get a ticket.

Officials Remind People To Shovel Around Fire Hydrants

As people finish up their snow shoveling from the weekend's winter storms, officials are also reminding people to clear out snow around fire hydrants.

Madison ordinances say that if there is a hydrant on the property, it is the property owner's responsibility to keep it clear of obstructions.

On Tuesday a group of east Madison firefighters helped shovel out some very buried hydrants. They said that emergency crews lose critical time shoveling if the hydrants are covered.

"The main thing is we don't want to get here in the middle of the night and have a fire and not be able to find them," said Lt. Bill Stebbins of Madison Fire Station 11.

Technically in Madison it is the property owner's job to do the digging, but the firefighters are helping to make sure the job gets done.

"It's just kind of a joint effort when you have a big storm, it helps out a lot if residents are digging," Stebbins said.

The reason they need to be dug out is because of fires like one that happened in the Village of Dane Sunday night at Raemisch Implements.

"It did slow down our hookup of the hydrant because it was pretty well buried, so the firefighter had to dig his way to the hydrant, dig it out quick to hook up the hose," said Dane Fire Chief Doug Statz.

It even slowed their help, because mutual aid departments don't know where to look for the hydrants.

"We can point them in the right direction, but they could drive right by because they don't know where they're at," Statz said.

Fire officials said that hydrants should be uncovered from top to bottom and have about a 2-foot radius cleared off around them.

Elderly or disabled homeowners who can't afford to hire someone to clear their sidewalks or driveways can contact these area organizations for assistance:

Independent Living 608-274-7900

South Madison Coalition for the Elderly 608-251-8405

Westside Coalition for the Aging 608-238-7368

Near East Side Coalition of Older Adults 608-243-5252

East Madison/Monona Coalition of Aging 608-223-3100