What should a snow plowing contract include?

A snow plowing contract should leave nothing to argue about in the middle of a storm. At minimum it names the property and exactly which areas are cleared, the depth that triggers a visit, how soon after snow stops the company arrives, how each storm or push is priced, what costs extra, whether the street plow's ridge is cleared, who pays for damage, proof of insurance, the season's dates and how either side can cancel. Here is what each of those should say, and why.

The parties and the property

The contract should give the company's legal name, a phone number that is answered during storms, and your service address. A business that will not put its full name and address on paper is hard to hold to anything later.

Describe the property precisely. "Driveway" is not enough. List the driveway and apron, any parking pad or turnaround, walks, steps, the path to the mailbox, and the public sidewalk if you want it cleared. A simple sketch or a marked-up aerial photo attached to the contract settles most disputes before they start.

When they come

Trigger depth. The number of inches that brings the truck out. A trigger around 2 inches makes practical sense. The City of Richmond notes that plowing is most useful when the total snow accumulation is above 2 inches,^[3] and for Virginia's state roads VDOT says "Plowing generally begins when 2 inches or more of snow has accumulated on the road".^[1] If ice or a light dusting should be handled too, say so, and say how.

Response time. How soon after snow stops they will arrive, and whether they plow during long storms. If you must leave at a set hour, write the hour in.

Return trips. VDOT explains that crews push snow off the road, to the right, and it can sometimes block driveways.^[1] Alexandria tells residents to be prepared to clear driveways and sidewalks more than one time.^[4] The contract should say whether one return trip for the street plow's ridge is included, or billed as another push.

The season. The start and end dates, and whether an early or late storm outside them is covered.

What it costs

State the pricing model plainly: per push, per storm, by depth tier, or a flat seasonal fee. Then list:

• What one storm or one push includes, and how many pushes a long storm gets.
• Any visit cap on a seasonal fee, and the price of each visit over it.
• Extras and their prices: salting or sanding, hand shoveling of walks and steps, hauling snow away, clearing after a city or VDOT plow.
• When payment is due, and whether a season fee is paid up front.
• What is refunded if the company stops serving you mid-season.

For what drives those numbers, see what driveway plowing costs per storm and whether a seasonal contract is worth it.

Where the snow goes

Say where piles go and where they must not. Keep them off beds, out of the sight line at the end of the driveway, and off the low spot where meltwater would run back across the pavement and refreeze; see why a plowed driveway refreezes.

The contract should also say the snow stays out of the street. Richmond asks residents: "Try not to move snow from driveways and parking lots into City streets".^[3] Alexandria is blunter: "Do not shovel snow into the street, or it will just be plowed back again".^[4]

De-icing

If salt or sand is included, name the product and where it goes. Salt-laden snow pushed onto a lawn or bed damages plants. Virginia Cooperative Extension recommends using calcium, potassium or magnesium products instead of sodium-based ones near plants, and suggests fencing or signage to keep plows from piling treated snow and ice on plantings.^[5]

Damage, markers and insurance

Plows scrape lawn edges, push gravel into the grass, crack pavement edges and knock down mailboxes. The contract should say:

• That you will mark the edges and obstacles, and that they will plow to the markers. See how to mark a driveway for a snow plow.
• Who repairs what, and by when: turf, gravel, pavement, mailbox, landscape lights.
• How you report damage, and how soon. Photos with dates help both sides.

Ask for a certificate of insurance before the first storm. Even VDOT requires vehicle insurance for each piece of equipment from contractors who plow for the state.^[2] If damage happens, see why a plow tears up lawn or gravel.

Your local sidewalk rules

Some cities make owners clear the public sidewalk. In Alexandria, property owners and tenants must clear adjacent city sidewalks within 24 to 72 hours after the snowfall ends, depending on the storm level, and an owner who misses the deadline may be fined $50 plus the cost of the city having the sidewalk cleared.^[4] In Richmond, City 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.^[3] Check your own city or county. If the plow company is to cover the sidewalk, name it in the contract and put the deadline beside it.

Records and billing

Ask for a service log or dated invoice for each visit, with the time. It lets you check a bill against your own photos, and it is the first thing you will want if a visit was missed. Virginia's Consumer Protection Act makes it unlawful for a supplier to misrepresent that services have been performed.^[6]

Cancelling, and door-to-door sales

The contract should say how either side can end it, with how much notice, and what is refunded.

If the contract was sold to you in person at your home, Virginia's Home Solicitation Sales Act usually lets you cancel until midnight of the third business day after you sign.^[8] Cancellation happens when you give the seller written notice at the address stated in the agreement,^[8] and the seller must give you a copy of the contract when it is signed, with a statement of your right to cancel.^[9] The law does not cover cash sales of less than $25,^[7] and you cannot cancel if you asked for service without delay because of an emergency, the seller made a substantial start in good faith, and you signed a dated waiver.^[8]

Stop and call a pro if

• The driveway is long, steep or gravel, or has drop-offs and ditches a shovel or small blower cannot handle safely.
• You must be out by a set time after every storm and cannot do it yourself.
• Snow is piling up on the roof or ice dams are forming; that is a job for roof snow and ice dam services, not a driveway plow.
• The contract raises a liability or insurance question you cannot answer; ask your insurer.

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