What Residential Snow Service Includes, Surface by Surface

What does residential snow service usually include?

At its core, driveway clearing at an agreed depth. Beyond that it varies by company, so read what is written down rather than assuming. Our residential snow removal arrangements can cover the driveway at an agreed trigger depth, walkways and the route to the door, steps, landings and decks where access requires it, parking and turnaround areas on rural properties, the berm the county plow leaves at the drive entrance, agreed snow storage, ice management on surfaces where refreeze is a real risk, and 24-hour storm response for events outside the normal cycle.

Scope is agreed property by property, so treat that as a list of things to ask about rather than a promise that every account has every item. This guide is part of our Montana Winter Property Guide. Pricing is not covered here, but snow removal cost factors explains how each of these items can affect it.

Is the whole driveway cleared, or just a lane?

Ask how wide and how far. A long rural drive needs somewhere for the snow to end up along its whole length and a place to turn around at the top, so confirm whether the turnaround, the parking pad and the apron by the garage are part of the job. Snow also cannot be pushed into a garage door, so someone has to pull it back from the door and leave a clean edge, which is slower work than the straight run.

Surface matters as well. On pavement the blade can run close. On gravel, it should be set slightly high, leaving a thin compacted layer by design. A newcomer may read this as a poor job, but it protects the surface and gives traction. See plowing a gravel driveway for why. On a grade, the clearing order matters, and the bottom of the slope tends to collect both pushed snow and refreezing meltwater, as our guide to steep driveways explains.

Are walkways and steps included?

They are often a separate line, so ask. Plows do not clear steps or narrow paths. Someone has to get out of the truck, and that takes time at every stop. On properties with an older resident, walks and steps are often the most important surfaces, because that is where falls happen. They also tend to refreeze, since they get cleared down to a hard surface and then get sun and shade in turn through the day.

Decide which routes matter. Front door to the drive is the usual one. You might also want the side door, the path to a garage, or the way to a propane tank or woodpile. Say so before the season, and mark the route if it is not obvious. Our guide to clearing snow off decks covers that surface in more detail.

What about the public sidewalk out front?

Do not assume it is included, even where the driveway and walkway are. In the city of Missoula, the owner is responsible for clearing adjacent sidewalks of snow and ice within 24 hours following a snowfall, and rental agreements may pass this to tenants. If your snow falls on a Tuesday and your trigger was not met, it could be your job on a day no plow comes. Ask for the sidewalk to be written in if you want it handled, and ask how a small snowfall below the trigger is treated. Our page on Missoula sidewalk snow removal rules explains the rule and complaint process.

Who clears the berm from the county or town plow?

On our residential accounts, clearing the entrance is part of the job, but timing is the catch. Missoula County says road crews begin plowing roads outside city limits between 5 and 6 a.m. on weekdays after a storm, with priority routes first, so the side road may be plowed after your driveway is done. If that happens, the berm stays until the next visit, unless you arrange otherwise.

Local rules can also put this on the homeowner. The Town of Stevensville says individuals are required to remove berms from driveways, mailboxes and cars and to place plowed snow on their own property, not in the street. A contractor should follow those rules as well, so you may want to ask where they push the snow from your entrance. Our guide to mailboxes, hydrants and snow clearing covers keeping those clear, including whether your service includes the area around the mailbox.

Is ice treatment part of snow removal?

Sometimes, and it should be named separately. Clearing is one job and treating the surface is another. Ask which surfaces get treated, when, with what, and whether it happens automatically or on request. On a residential property, ice management usually matters most at specific spots: the bottom of a slope, shaded corners and the route people walk.

Tell your contractor about pets, new concrete and planting beds, because product choice affects each. Our guides to ice melt for Montana driveways, sand, salt or both, pet-safe ice melt and how de-icing salt damages plants and concrete help you decide what to ask for. The City of Missoula, for one, advises against de-icers on new sidewalks for two years after installation.

Where will the snow go?

This should be agreed, not improvised. Every pile is water that reappears in March, so it should not sit against the house, over a septic drainfield, on planting beds or at the bottom of the drive where meltwater runs back and refreezes. It also should not block the sightline where you pull onto the road. On a tight lot, this may be the hardest constraint of the whole job. Our guide on where to pile snow goes through the placement rules.

Sooner or later a small lot may run out of room. Ask what happens then. Hauling snow off-site is generally a separate job, so find out if a company offers it and how it would be charged, or plan storage to last through a big year.

Does it include damage protection and marking?

Marking is usually a shared job. Irrigation heads, landscape lighting, bed edging, young shrubs and the edge of a gravel drive are invisible by December, so they should be staked in the fall. Our guides to snow stakes and markers and preventing plow damage cover what to mark. Ask whether the contractor supplies stakes, or whether you do. Also ask how damage gets reported and handled, and ask to see proof of coverage, as covered in insurance questions to ask a snow contractor.

What is usually not included?

Roofs are a big one. We do not remove snow from roofs. OSHA's winter guidance tells employers to avoid sending workers onto roofs when possible, and it is a job for specialists. If you are worried about a roof, our guide on when roof snow needs removing explains when to call a roofing contractor or an engineer. Ice dams are also a roofing and insulation issue; see ice dams in Montana homes.

Other items that commonly need separate agreement include gates and private road sections shared with neighbors, which our guide to private road plowing covers, as well as clearing around outbuildings, moving parked vehicles or trailers, and spring repairs to turf or gravel. Fallen limbs are not typically part of a snow contract, though with us, a storm-damaged tree is something we can handle because we are also a tree company.

How often will they come, and who decides?

With a seasonal route arrangement, you should not need to call. Your property sits on the route with an agreed trigger depth, and we come when that depth is reached. A lower trigger means more visits and a drive that is almost always open. A higher one means fewer visits and some mornings when you drive through a few inches. Neither is wrong, and it should be your decision. Timing depends on the route and storm; for what to expect, see what a season of snow service looks like.

Who is residential service a good fit for?

It tends to suit households where being stuck is expensive: someone who has to be at work, an older owner for whom shoveling a long drive is unsafe, a rental or second home nobody is at to clear, and properties where the drive climbs. If you are still deciding, shovel, snow blower or plow service can help. A home with a business on site or a shared private road may need a closer look, and our HOA and private road service may be the better fit.

What should you confirm before signing?

Get these points in writing: surfaces included and excluded, the trigger depth and how it is measured, how the berm is handled, ice treatment and products, snow storage areas, the public sidewalk, season dates, how damage is reported, and who to call during a storm. Then walk the property together while you can still see the ground. Our guide to how to choose a snow removal company has the broader comparison, and contract terms explained covers the wording.

To talk through your property, call (406) 215-7319 or ask for a free estimate. We serve Missoula, Lolo and Clinton, and Florence, Stevensville, Victor, Corvallis, Hamilton and Darby through the Bitterroot Valley.

More resources