Avoid shoveling your sidewalk after the next big snowfall and you'll risk getting stuck with the bill from city crews making faster sweeps through Minneapolis neighborhoods.

Residents are responsible for clearing their sidewalks after a storm, and the city sends warning letters to people who fail to shovel. Sidewalks must be cleared within 24 hours in front of houses and duplexes and within four daytime hours for other properties.

But this year, officials say they're going to respond more quickly to people who ignore those letters. City crews will be sent out to clear the snow, and they'll be there twice as fast as they were in the past.

Property owners will be billed for the city's cleanup work. And there's no escape; unpaid fines will be tacked on to property tax bills.

Meanwhile, Minneapolis is also changing the way it clears corners to ensure pedestrians can get around after a snowfall. Crews will start with "pedestrian priority corners," most of them along major streets, before continuing on to areas with less car and foot traffic. The city says it will have snow removed within three working days after a snow emergency ends, or after we get at least four inches of snow.

Officials suggest calling 311 or using the city's 311 app to report areas that haven't been cleared.

For more information on how to shovel snow and avoid fines, check out the city's video guide, also available in Spanish, Hmong and Somali.