Is a seasonal snow removal contract worth it in Virginia?

A seasonal snow contract is worth it for some Virginia homeowners and a poor deal for others. Because snowfall here swings so much from one winter to the next, a flat fee can cost more than paying per visit in a light year and much less in a heavy one. What a contract reliably buys is a place on the company's route and an agreed plan. That is worth paying for if you must get out early, cannot shovel for health reasons, have a long or steep driveway, or own a property you cannot reach after a storm.

How much snow you are paying for

The weather is the biggest unknown in the math. At Washington Dulles, the National Weather Service lists a normal season of 21.0 inches of snow.^[1] Hardly any winter is normal, though. At the same station, 2022-23 brought 0.4 inches and 2013-14 brought 52.8 inches, while 2019-20 brought 2.9 inches, and 2014-15 and 2015-16 each brought more than 34.^[1] Nearby, the record the weather service keeps for Washington, D.C. lists a normal season of 13.7 inches, with 0.4 inches in 2022-23 and 32.0 in 2013-14.^[2] Snowfall in your part of the state will differ, often a lot, but the pattern is the same: a few big winters pull the average up, and many winters fall well below it.

What matters for a contract is not total inches but the number of storms deep enough to clear. The City of Richmond notes that plowing is most useful when the total snow accumulation is above 2 inches,^[5] and on state roads, plowing generally begins when 2 inches or more of snow has accumulated.^[3] One 18-inch storm is one or two visits; six 3-inch snows are six.

Doing the math

Ask one company for two prices for the same areas: a per-visit price and a season price. Divide the season price by the per-visit price. The result is how many plowable storms you need in a winter just to break even. Then look back at a few recent winters for your area. If most had fewer storms than your break-even number, per-visit pricing would have cost you less. If heavy winters are common where you live, or a single bad winter would strain your budget, the season fee works like insurance: you pay a known amount whatever the weather does.

Read the cap. Some season contracts cover unlimited visits; others include a set number and charge for each one after that, which brings back the weather risk you were trying to avoid.

When a contract is clearly worth it

• You cannot shovel safely. Orthopaedic surgeons and the City of Alexandria advise people with a medical condition, or who do not exercise regularly, to talk with your doctor before shoveling, and consider hiring someone to remove the snow.^[7][6] A contract means you are not hunting for help in the middle of a storm, when everyone is busy.
• You must leave early. Healthcare workers, people with medical appointments and anyone who cannot work from home need a stated response time, which one-off calls rarely get.
• You are away, or you own a rental. Alexandria spells out that 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,^[6] with a possible $50 fine plus the cost of the city doing the work.^[6] Richmond's code requires sidewalks to be cleared within 6 hours of snow stopping or by 11 a.m. the next day if snow falls through the night.^[5] A contract that names the sidewalk covers that.
• The driveway is long, steep or gravel. These take equipment and an operator who knows the edges, and they are the hardest to get cleared on short notice.

When per-visit is the better deal

If your driveway is short, you can shovel it, you are flexible about when you leave, and recent winters in your area have been light, paying per visit, or clearing it yourself, will usually cost less. See the best way to clear a driveway after a big snow and what snow removal costs in Virginia.

What to read in the contract

• Trigger depth. How many inches bring them out, and whether ice or light snow is covered.
• Response time. How soon after snow stops, and whether they come during long storms.
• Areas. Driveway, apron, walks, steps, sidewalk, mailbox access.
• The street plow's ridge. Crews push snow off the road, to the right, and it can block driveways.^[3] Alexandria tells residents to be prepared to clear driveways and sidewalks more than one time.^[6] Ask whether a return trip for the ridge is included.
• De-icing. Included or extra, and which product.
• Damage and insurance. Who pays for torn-up lawn edges, cracked pavement or a broken mailbox. Ask for proof of insurance; VDOT requires vehicle insurance for each piece of equipment from the contractors it hires to plow.^[4]
• Payment and cancellation. When payment is due, whether any of it is refundable in a snowless winter, and how either side ends the agreement.

If the contract was sold at your door

Snow companies often sell season contracts door to door in the fall. Under Virginia's Home Solicitation Sales Act, when a sale is solicited in person at your home, you can generally cancel until midnight of the third business day after you sign,^[9] and the seller must give you a copy of the contract and a written notice of your right to cancel.^[10] The cancellation must be in writing, sent to the address in the agreement.^[9] The law does not apply to a sale made after earlier negotiations between you and the seller, or to cash sales under $25.^[8]

Damage from public plows is a separate matter

A contract covers your contractor, not the state or city. To report mailbox damage from a VDOT plow, VDOT asks you to enter a ticket on myVDOT, its Customer Service Center portal, and says claims cannot be submitted by phone.^[3] Cities and counties that plow their own streets have their own process.

Stop and call a pro if

• You have a heart condition or another reason to avoid heavy exertion and nobody nearby can clear for you.
• Snow is loading the roof or icicles hang over doorways. Roof snow and ice dams are a job for a professional; see roof snow and ice dam services.
• There is no room left to pile snow and it needs hauling away; see snow hauling.
• Ice keeps forming on the driveway after every clearing; see why a plowed driveway refreezes.

Browse snow removal services and snow and seasonal answers, find seasonal services around Blacksburg, or describe the job once and local businesses quote it.