Is it worth paying someone to salt my driveway?

Often, yes, for these four situations

Paying someone to salt your driveway is worth it when you cannot do it safely, when you are not home, when ice keeps forming before you can get to it, or when a missed pass would cost you. If you are healthy, home and have a short driveway, a bag of product and ten minutes is usually cheaper and just as good.

When paying is worth it

You should not be shoveling. Orthopaedic surgeons say: "Clearing snow places a great deal of stress on the heart", and advise speaking to your doctor before shoveling if you have a medical condition or do not exercise regularly.^[1] They add: "You may also wish to consider hiring someone" to do it.^[1] According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 2018 more than 137,000 people were treated in emergency rooms, doctors' offices, and clinics for injuries that happened while shoveling or using snowblowers.^[1]

You are away or work early. Where a locality sets a deadline, being out of town does not excuse the sidewalk. In Alexandria, owners and tenants who may be unavailable or unable to clear sidewalks themselves are responsible for making arrangements to have the work done for them.^[2]

Timing matters more than effort. Salt put down before ice bonds is easier to deal with than ice you chip off after it sets. Richmond's public works pre-treats roads before an event, but says pre-treating works less well in rain or below 20 degrees,^[3] so a driveway service that watches the forecast can earn its fee on exactly those nights.

A fine is possible. Alexandria says a property owner who fails to clear adjacent sidewalks in time may be subject to a $50 fine, plus the cost of the City having the sidewalk cleared.^[2] Virginia law lets certain counties adopt sidewalk-clearing rules, with civil penalties not to exceed $100.^[4] Other places have no rule: Fairfax County "does not have a law stating that snow must be cleared from residential sidewalks," though it asks residents to do it for safety.^[5]

When it is not

A short driveway, a mild winter and a healthy household make a service a poor deal if it charges per visit and comes for every dusting. University of Minnesota Extension says a coffee mug of salt (about 12 oz.) is all that is needed for about 1,000 sq. ft.,^[6] which is a small, cheap job. Shoveling early is the other half: clear as much snow as you can first, because salt does little under it.

Be wary of a service that spreads heavily. "More is NOT better," says the same extension office,^[6] and salt that runs into the soil can harm plants; Virginia Cooperative Extension notes that salt accumulation in the soil usually occurs within 30-50 feet of roads.^[7] Heavy use also threatens new or already damaged concrete; see what ice melt is safe for concrete.

How to decide and what to ask for

1. Count how many times last winter you needed to treat the driveway. Few visits favor paying per visit or doing it yourself.
2. Ask whether salting is billed per visit or sits inside a seasonal fee; see what driveway salting costs in Virginia.
3. Ask what product goes down, how much, and how soon after snow stops they come.
4. Ask whether snow is cleared first, since deicer should not go on snow, and "remove the snow first" is the extension advice.^[6]
5. Ask for the terms in writing, including how to cancel.

If you want plowing as well, the seasonal contract question is a separate decision.

Stop and call a pro if

• You have a heart condition, back trouble or balance problems. Stop shoveling and arrange help; the guidance is: "If you experience chest pain, shortness of breath, or other signs of a heart attack, stop the activity and seek emergency care."^[1]
• The ice returns in the same place every time, which suggests a drainage or grading problem a landscaper or concrete contractor should look at.
• You are traveling and your locality expects clear sidewalks.
• The concrete is new, flaking or crumbling. A contractor should assess it before anything more is spread.

Getting help in Virginia

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