Snow removal in Barrhaven
Write your Barrhaven street, how many cars fit your driveway and what else needs clearing. We pass the request to one independent snow clearing company that works the southwest, and it calls you with a price for the season.
In short
- 01Barrhaven sits about 17 km southwest of downtown Ottawa, between the Greenbelt, the Rideau River and Highway 416.
- 02Most Barrhaven streets are lined with town houses, where driveways often sit side by side.
- 03The City makes the property owner responsible for the windrow, the ridge of snow a street plow leaves across the end of a driveway.
- 04HomeStars puts Ottawa seasonal residential contracts at $300 to $1,800+ per winter and single visits at $40 to $150.
Typical ranges
Source HomeStars, Snow removal in Ottawa, seen 29.10.2026. HomeStars, How Much Does Snow Removal Cost?, Canada-wide, updated 21.08.2026, seen 29.10.2026. City rules: City of Ottawa, Clearing snow from your property, When roads and sidewalks get plowed, Winter Weather Parking Bans, SNOW KNOWledge brochure for snow plow contractors, all seen 29.10.2026. Area facts: Wikipedia, Barrhaven, read 29.10.2026.
What to ask before you book
- Q1How many cars long is the driveway you priced, and do you clear around a car parked at the end?
- Q2On my townhouse row, where does the snow go once the strip of lawn beside the driveway is full?
- Q3Do you come back for the windrow after the City plow passes, and is that in the season price?
- Q4What snowfall depth starts a visit, and is there a cap on total snowfall for the season?
- Q5Can you show your City snow plow contractor licence and the orange plate on the machine?
Before the visit
- Street and nearest main road: Greenbank Road, Strandherd Drive, Woodroffe Avenue, Fallowfield Road or Jockvale Road
- Driveway size in cars, and whether it sits side by side with a neighbour's
- Walkway, front steps and the patch in front of the garage you want shovelled
- Where the snow may go on your lot, and any spot that must stay clear
- Objects near the edges: lights, downspouts, garden beds, a basketball net
Townhouse rows and the newer edge
Modern Barrhaven began in the 1960s, when Mel Barr turned farmland into housing; the first subdivision houses along Larkin Drive went up in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Its large expansion was approved in 1977 and cleared by the provincial cabinet in 1979. Most streets today are townhouses, with some streets of larger suburban houses, and Half Moon Bay, Quinn’s Pointe and Barrhaven Mews are still being built south of Strandherd Drive and along Cambrian Road.
For a snow company, that means two different jobs. A townhouse driveway is short and boxed in by the neighbours on both sides. A detached house on a wider lot may leave more room to place snow. Put the house type and the driveway size in cars in your request.
Where the snow is allowed to go
City rules leave one place for the snow from your driveway: your own lot. The Use and Care of Roads By-law bans pushing or blowing it onto the street, the sidewalk, a pathway or a park. A contractor who dumps it on a neighbour’s property, on public land or on an accessible parking space breaks the City’s contractor rules, and those rules give the contractor a 4-hour cleanup deadline for snow dumped on public property or an accessible space.
On a narrow lot the bank grows all winter. Tell the company which side of the driveway can take it, and point out anything under the snow line, such as a garden bed or a low wall.
The City plow and your windrow
The City clears in order. The Transitway, major roads and arterials go at the start of the snowfall. Residential sidewalks follow after 5 cm and residential streets after 7 cm, with up to 16 hours to finish after the snow stops. The ridge the street plow leaves across your driveway belongs to you. Ask whether the company returns for it, and whether that visit is counted in the season price.
What moves a Barrhaven price
Driveway length in cars, shovelling of the walkway, steps and garage front, and the snowfall depth that triggers a visit set most of the price. HomeStars also lists charges to watch for: extra fees for deep snowfalls, emergency call-outs, and penalties for changing a contract mid-season. Ask about each one before you sign.
Who you are dealing with
Ottawa Snow Desk passes your Barrhaven request to one independent snow clearing company that works the southwest of the city. That company calls you, prices the season and does the clearing.
Questions
01Who clears the windrow at the end of my Barrhaven driveway?
The City says the property owner is responsible for the windrow left after a street is plowed. Residential streets get plowed once 7 cm or more has fallen, and the City says that can take 10 to 16 hours after the last snowflake. The windrow often arrives after the first clearing, so ask whether a return trip is in the contract.
02Can the company blow snow onto the street or into my neighbour's yard?
The City’s Use and Care of Roads By-law prohibits putting snow on the City right-of-way, which includes streets, sidewalks, pathways and parks. The City’s rules for snow plow contractors also make it an offence to dump snow on private property other than the client’s. On a townhouse row, settle where the snow goes before the first storm.
03Does a winter parking ban change anything for my driveway?
Between November 15 and April 1, the City may call a ban for freezing rain or when Environment Canada forecasts 7 cm or more of snow. Overnight bans run 7 pm to 7 am and daytime bans 10 am to 7 pm, and cars on the street without a residential permit may be ticketed and towed. If a ban puts a second car in your driveway, tell the company where it will sit.
04Can I share one contract with the townhouse next door?
Ask the company on the call. City rules keep the snow off the street and sidewalk, and a contractor may only place it on a client’s property, so write both addresses, both driveway sizes and who pays, and get the arrangement in writing.