Windrow clearing in Ottawa: the ridge the City plow leaves behind

Why the ridge lands after the driveway is done

The City plows by priority. Highway 174, the Transitway and arterials get crews from the start of a snowfall. Residential sidewalks follow at 5 cm, and residential roads and lanes wait for 7 cm or more, with 10 to 16 hours allowed after the last snowflake. A declared Significant Weather Event can pause those timelines.

Snow companies run their own clock. One Kanata and Stittsville firm gives the example of a first clearing at 6 AM and a second pass by 11 AM for the bank the plow left. So the driveway is usually cleared first and the street plow comes later, leaving what one Ottawa firm calls heavy, packed snow. The early-morning clearing guide covers how crews time the first pass.

Who owns the windrow, and where its snow may go

The City’s clearing page names the pile a snow windrow and says property owners are responsible for removing it. The Use and Care of Roads By-law forbids any person to throw, push, plow or dump snow on a highway, and exempts City employees and agents moving snow. The plow may leave it at your driveway; you may not send it back.

The driveway access belongs to the City right of way, the City-owned strip that also holds the road, sidewalk and boulevard. The City asks residents to keep snow off streets, sidewalks, pathways and parks, and to keep catch basins and fire hydrants clear. So the windrow goes onto your lot: lawn, side yard or driveway edge. For hired crews, the SNOW KNOWledge brochure also makes it an offence to dump on an accessible parking space or on private property other than the client’s.

Three ways to pay for it

Return passes inside a season contract. One Orléans firm lists repeat cleanups after City plows as standard, with season estimates of $530, $580 and $605 + HST for single, double and triple driveways; its terms warn of delays because municipal schedules are unknown. One Kanata and Stittsville firm lists $495 single and $545 double, and says it returns typically within two hours of the plows passing. The rest of the fine print is on the seasonal contract page.

A windrow-only plan. The Orléans firm sells one triggered by 7 cm or more and carried out after the City plows. The driveway itself stays your job.

On-call removal. One Ottawa firm books end-of-driveway pile removal as a one-time option with no contract. HomeStars puts one-time snow work in Ottawa at $60 to $120 an hour.

Main streets, bus routes and sidewalk plows

Street type shows up in the price. Arterials see plows from the start of a snowfall, and two firms’ terms name City sidewalk plows next to street plows. The Orléans firm adds $100 + HST for homes on busy main streets and keeps its windrow-only plan off main streets, bus routes and streets where sidewalk plows operate. Another Ottawa firm lists bus and emergency routes as their own package. Put your street type in the request.

Gaps to read for before you sign

• Light snowfalls. One firm clears once for snowfalls under 7 cm, after the plows finish or once the snow stops if they never come.
• A parked car. Both firms clear what they can reach. One returns only if a full second pass is planned; the other books next-day call-backs by 11 a.m.
• Dry-day City work. The City shrinks or removes street snowbanks that block sightlines, posting temporary no-parking signs first. One firm’s terms leave snow from that work outside the automatic service.
• Driveway banks. The City says residents are responsible for snowbanks along their private driveway.

Street parking during storms is covered in the parking ban guide.

Snow Go and Snow Go Assist

Snow Go matches older adults and people with disabilities with an individual or contractor who clears private driveways and walkways at an affordable rate. Snow Go Assist, funded by the City and run by community agencies, repays part of the cost. One agency lists the conditions: age 60 or over or an adult with a physical disability, low income, and a signed contract or proof of payment. Applications go out each October, the deadline falls in early December, and funding is first come, first served. Agencies by area are on the seniors’ snow help guide.

Who you are dealing with

Ottawa Snow Desk passes your request to one independent local snow company. That company calls you back, prices the windrow work with the rest of your driveway, and does the clearing.