--- title: Winter Storms: US Cities Ban Sledding Over Lawsuits, Liability description: We have lawsuits and fear of liability are to blame canonical: https://time.com/3654671/us-cities-ban-sledding/ author: Samantha Grossman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-05T22:22:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:48:12.471Z og:title: More Cities Are Banning Sledding Because Why Should We Get to Keep the One Good Thing About Winter og:description: Lawsuits and fear of liability are to blame og:url: https://time.com/3654671/us-cities-ban-sledding/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbabbf2cece0de3b0/6987783cf887dc7d13e8956b/158933972.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: sledding og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: More Cities Are Banning Sledding Because Why Should We Get to Keep the One Good Thing About Winter twitter:description: Lawsuits and fear of liability are to blame twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbabbf2cece0de3b0/6987783cf887dc7d13e8956b/158933972.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # More Cities Are Banning Sledding Because Why Should We Get to Keep the One Good Thing About Winter by [Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Jan 5, 2015 10:22 PM UTC  Playing in the snow Playing in the snowGetty Images by [Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Jan 5, 2015 10:22 PM UTC As most of the U.S. [prepares for](http://time.com/3653354/weather-forecast-arctic-blast/) cold temperatures and lots of snow and ice, some people are probably taking solace in the fact that this means they can bundle up and go sledding. Sadly, though, that isn’t an option everywhere, because more and more cities are banning the fun winter activity due to concerns about lawsuits and liability, the Associated Press [reports](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US%5FSLEDDING%5FRESTRICTIONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT). One of the latest is Dubuque, Iowa, whose city council is banning sledding in all but two of its 50 parks because it “can’t manage the risk at all of those places.” In explaining the decision, Dubuque city officials pointed to major lawsuits like one in Nebraska, where the family of a 5-year-old girl won $2 million after she was paralyzed in a sledding accident. The council also cited a $2.75 million payment after a man in Iowa injured his spinal cord after sledding into a sign. The AP points out that certain cities — including Montville, N.J. and Columbia City, Ind. — are banning sledding on certain hills or simply posting signs warning people to sled at their own risk. Stay safe out there this winter. ### See the First Major Snow Storm of the Season  Jacob Rowell wears ski googles as he walks to school in Minneapolis, Nov. 10, 2014. Eric Miller—Reuters  Mike Schultz of Minneapolis clears a sidewalk as he tries to keep up with the snow during the season's first snowstorm in Minneapolis, on Nov. 10, 2014. Craig Lassig—EPA  City workers clear the snow during the season's first snowstorm in Minneapolis, on Nov. 10, 2014. Craig Lassig—EPA  Traffic on Interstate 35 slows to a crawl during the season's first snowstorm in Minneapolis on Nov. 10, 2014. Craig Lassig—EPA  A man walks through Mears Park in downtown St. Paul, Minn., during the first snowstorm of the season on Nov. 10, 2014. Leila Navidi—AP  Snow falls on the Vince Lombardi statue at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. on Nov. 10, 2014. Kiichiro Sato—AP  Perry Stephens waits to move her car after multiple collisions occurred at an intersection, following a snowfall in Duluth, Minn. on Nov. 10, 2014. Robert King—Reuters  Wren Scott-Lumbar, 11, skis at Hester Park, in St. Cloud, Minn. on Nov. 10, 2014. Ann Wessel—AP  Sue Scheeler walks her dog Brooke at Custer Park in Bismarck, N.D., on Nov. 10, 2014. Tom Stromme—AP  A man holds his dog as he rushes across the street in downtown St. Paul, Minn., during the first snowstorm of the season on, Nov. 10, 2014. 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