Beginning in January, Dearborn residents may no longer be allowed to have their car block the sidewalk while in the driveway during snow emergencies.

A new city ordinance will prohibit residents from parking in their driveway over the sidewalk during snow emergencies.

This change in the city ordinance regarding snow emergency rules is likely to be approved in January by the City Council. If approved, residents will no longer be able to park vehicles across the sidewalk during a snow emergency.

Dearborn officials say this practice is being eliminated because it is in conflict with the American with Disabilities Act. A car parked across a sidewalk may block a person with a disability from traveling safely.

Dearborn officials say by moving parked vehicles off of the street whenever three inches or more of snow is predicted to fall allows snow plows to clear curb-to-curb instead of working around parked vehicles.

If Dearborn declares a snow emergency, residents must remove parked vehicles from the street or you could be ticketed and your vehicles could be towed.

Police do not issue warnings during snow emergencies.

Generally, you may move vehicles back on the street once the street has been plowed curb to curb and no further heavy snowfall is expected.

Driveway aprons do become snow covered during snowplowing operations. Dearborn officials ask that residents not pile snow back into the cleared street and avoid throwing snow onto your neighbor’s property without permission.

You can check if a snow emergency has been declared via any of the following methods:

• Snow emergency hotline at 943-2444.

• www.cityofdearborn.org

• CDTV, which is cable channel 10 on WOW and cable channel 12 on Comcast.

• TV news programs and news radio stations.

• You may also hear the City’s emergency warning sirens go off.

• Twitter.com messages via the “cityofdearborn” account.

• Text or email messages sent to your phone or email from the public safety information system known as Nixle. Sign up for alerts at Nixle.com.