# Icicles and falling roof snow: whom should you notify? Icicles or falling roof snow: learn whom to notify, how to describe the danger and what building owners must do in Oslo to keep routes safe. Canonical: https://samfunnprep.no/en/articles/sno-is-takras-varsle-gardeier Language: en Publisher: SamfunnPrep Author: Hlib Suslov Published: 2026-10-05T16:12:30.212+00:00 Modified: 2026-10-06T13:52:34.169416+00:00 AI use policy: https://samfunnprep.no/ai-policy.txt ## Key takeaways - Keep away and report Respect barriers, choose a safe route and contact the building owner or board. If people face immediate danger, contact emergency services. - Oslo has specific local duties When snow or ice threatens a public place, the owner must immediately mark the danger and arrange roof clearing as soon as possible. Check local rules where you live. - Let professionals assess the roof Roof work needs safety measures, and uneven clearing may create harmful loading. Do not climb up or use one snow depth as a safe limit for every roof. Icicles and falling roof snow can make the area below a roof dangerous. Keep your distance, respect barriers and notify the building owner or board. If people face immediate danger, contact emergency services. The owner must follow local rules and arrange safe protection. ## What should you do when you see icicles or a risk of falling roof snow? Choose a route that keeps you away from the area under the roof. Do not cross a barrier to save time. **Takras** means snow or ice falling from a roof. An **istapp** is an icicle hanging from a roof or another part of the building. Entrances, pavements and parking spaces may all be exposed. Do not try to knock down ice with a broom or another object. You could put yourself and others under falling material. Do not climb up to inspect the roof. If there is another safe entrance, use it. If the entire access route seems dangerous, keep away and contact the person responsible for the building. Help children and others with you find a safe route. SamfunnPrep also has a guide to [your first winter in Norway](https://samfunnprep.no/en/articles/forste-vinter-i-norge). This guide focuses on danger from the roof and whom to notify, rather than ordinary slippery conditions. ## Who should you notify? Contact the building owner, caretaker or board. If you rent, the landlord can help you find the right contact person. **Gårdeier** here means the person or organisation responsible as the building's owner. Oslo kommune, the City of Oslo, explains that this may also be a housing cooperative, condominium association or business. You do not need to find every resident's name before reporting the problem. In Oslo, the owner's duties also apply to a person who uses or rents street-level premises, a ground lessee, or a manager of a building or land. This is stated in section 1-2 of the local police regulations. A ground lessee, **fester**, rents land under a ground-lease agreement. Look for contact details by the entrance or in messages from the board. A ground-floor shop may know the contact person, but is not necessarily responsible for the whole roof. Ask for the right contact without assuming who is at fault. If you cannot find the owner, ask the municipality where to report this type of danger. Municipal contact channels may differ. Do not assume an ordinary online message will be read immediately. If people face immediate danger, contact emergency services. [Politiet, the Norwegian police, lists 112 as its emergency number](https://www.politiet.no/kontakt-politiet/ring-politiet). Describe what is happening, where the danger is and whether people are at risk. Do not wait for a contact-form reply in an emergency. ## Write a message that makes the danger easy to locate Give the address, exact location and what you actually see. A picture taken from a safe distance can help the recipient locate the problem. A useful message may include: - the street address and entrance number, if applicable - which side of the building is affected - whether snow or ice has already fallen - whether a pavement, entrance or other access route is affected - whether there is a barrier or warning - the observation time and your telephone number. For example: “Large icicles are hanging above the courtyard entrance at this address. People are walking in and out under the roof. I saw no barrier at 08:00. Can you assess and secure the area?” Do not move closer just to take a clearer picture. Avoid pictures of people who are unnecessary for the report. Note whom you contacted and when, particularly if you need to follow up. If you rent, you can keep practical contact information with [your tenancy agreement and housing arrangements](https://samfunnprep.no/en/articles/leiekontrakt-norge-2026). A danger report is a notification, not a professional assessment of the roof's condition. ## What do the Oslo rules require? In Oslo, the owner must immediately warn of danger when snow or ice threatens to fall from a roof towards a public place. The owner must also arrange for the roof to be cleared as soon as possible. This is a local example, checked on 4 October 2026. [Oslo kommune explains building owners' duties](https://www.oslo.kommune.no/gate-transport-og-parkering/miljogebyr/). The rules are in [Oslo's local police regulations, section 4-1, on Lovdata, the Norwegian legal-information service](https://lovdata.no/dokument/LF/forskrift/2007-06-06-577/). The owner must put up **avvisere**, or similar warning devices. These are clear markers showing that passing may be dangerous or difficult. Once the roof has been cleared, the markers must be removed. Warning devices must be removed within seven days. There is an exception if the owner can document a longer wait for booked roof-clearing assistance. This does not give a general right to wait seven days before dealing with the danger. After roof snow or ice falls, the pavement outside the property must be cleared as soon as possible. Snow and ice from the property must not be placed where they obstruct or inconvenience movement in a public place. Oslo also has separate rules for ordinary pavement snow clearing and gritting inside Ring 1. These differ from the falling-roof-snow rule. Do not use Ring 1 as a general boundary for that rule, or transfer Oslo's rules to every other municipality. ## Why should professionals clear the roof? Roof work requires planning and protection against falls. The owner should book help that can assess both the roof and the safety of people on the ground. Arbeidstilsynet, the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority, provides [guidance on safer roof work](https://www.arbeidstilsynet.no/risikofylt-arbeid/arbeid-i-hoyden/unnga-fall-ved-arbeid-pa-tak/). This guidance concerns professional work and describes fall protection and closing off the area below the work, among other measures. As a resident, do not improvise with a ladder or rope. Ask the person responsible to clarify who will do the job and how the area will be kept safe during the work. Also clarify how people can enter and leave. An app message is of little use if visitors do not see the warning at the building. Tell the board if an entrance becomes difficult to use with a pushchair or wheelchair. ## Roof snow also affects the load Roofs cannot withstand unlimited snow. What is safe must be assessed for the particular building and snow. The research institute SINTEF explains in an [interview from January 2026](https://www.sintef.no/publikasjoner/publikasjon/10314033/) that clearing a roof may cause uneven loading. Removing all snow from one roof surface before the other may be more critical than a larger, evenly distributed load. This is a reason to get professional help, not instructions for clearing the roof yourself. A simple snow-depth measurement alone does not provide a safe limit for every roof. Do not use your neighbour's assessment as a guarantee for your building. ## What should you do if the problem returns? Report any new danger and ask for a follow-up plan. Previous roof clearing does not mean the area will always be safe afterwards. Separate what you see now from what was reported last time. Give the new time, location and whether the markers are still there. For recurring problems, the owner can ask professionals to assess more lasting measures. Use [SamfunnPrep's practical tools](https://samfunnprep.no/en/verktoy) as a starting point for a housing contact list. Save the landlord's, board's or caretaker's number before the first snow. You will then know who can follow up an ordinary report and when to seek urgent help. ## FAQ ### Whom should I notify about icicles above the entrance? Contact the building owner, caretaker or board. If you rent, the landlord can help you find the right contact. If people face immediate danger, contact emergency services. ### Can I knock the icicles down myself? Do not stand under the ice or try to knock it down. Do not climb onto the roof. The owner should obtain help that can secure both roof work and the area on the ground. ### Can warning devices stay for seven days without anyone acting? The Oslo rules require immediate warnings and roof clearing as soon as possible. Seven days is the removal deadline for warning devices, with an exception for a documented longer wait for booked help. It is not a general waiting period before action. ### Do the Oslo rules apply throughout Norway? No. Oslo is a local example. Check your municipality’s police regulations and contact channel. Oslo’s falling-roof-snow rule must also be kept separate from ordinary snow clearing inside Ring 1. ## Sources - [Gårdeier sine plikter og miljøgebyr](https://www.oslo.kommune.no/gate-transport-og-parkering/miljogebyr/) - [Unngå fall ved arbeid på tak](https://www.arbeidstilsynet.no/risikofylt-arbeid/arbeid-i-hoyden/unnga-fall-ved-arbeid-pa-tak/) - [Glemmer du å måke her, kan det bli dyrt](https://www.sintef.no/publikasjoner/publikasjon/10314033/) - [Forskrift om politivedtekt, Oslo, §4-1](https://lovdata.no/dokument/LF/forskrift/2007-06-06-577/) - [Ring politiet](https://www.politiet.no/kontakt-politiet/ring-politiet) - [Forskrift om politivedtekt, Oslo, §4-1](https://lovdata.no/dokument/LF/forskrift/2007-06-06-577/) - [Ring politiet](https://www.politiet.no/kontakt-politiet/ring-politiet) Citation: Hlib Suslov, "Icicles and falling roof snow: whom should you notify?", SamfunnPrep, 2026-10-05T16:12:30.212+00:00, https://samfunnprep.no/en/articles/sno-is-takras-varsle-gardeier