Short answer: Plowing a standard two-car driveway costs about $50 to $80 per push at a 2-inch trigger, based on 2026–27 price lists published by snow contractors. Single-car drives run $30 to $65 and three-car drives $85 to $115. Seasonal contracts run about $375 to $1,250, and salting adds $15 to $25 a visit.
$50–$80 per push, standard 2-car driveway (estimate from published 2026–27 price lists; see method)
8 vs. 20.5 snowfalls of 2 inches or more a year, Minneapolis-St. Paul vs. Syracuse (NOAA 1991–2020 normals)
$88.21 per ton, average delivered road-salt price on Pennsylvania’s 2025–26 state contract (PA DGS COSTARS)
$3.27 billion snow removal revenue at U.S. landscaping firms, 2022 (Census Bureau, 2022 Economic Census)
Most snow removal price pages repeat the same national average and a list of cities with no source behind either. This one starts from documents you can open: snow contractors’ own published 2026–27 rate cards, city and school contracts with per-push and hourly prices, state road-salt contracts, the NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals for how often it actually snows enough to plow, and BLS wage data (OEWS, May 2025) for what crews earn. Where we turn those inputs into a range, the arithmetic is in the method box near the end.
Two numbers matter more than any average: what a contractor charges per visit for a driveway your size, and how many visits your city’s winters produce. Multiply them and you have your season. The calculator below does that, and the snowfall table tells you what to type in. For other outdoor project prices, see our cost guides and the landscaping cost breakdown.
Snow removal cost per push, by driveway size
Driveway plowing is priced per visit (contractors say “per push”) by size tier, not by the square foot. On the price lists we compiled, a standard two-car driveway sits at $60 in the Twin Cities suburbs and $80 in Madison, Wisconsin, with salt included; the Cleveland-area firm we found starts per-push service at “$50+”. Tiers move up by width and length, with gravel, slope and tight access pushing a driveway into the next tier.
| Driveway | Typical size | Per push (estimate) | Seasonal contract (published examples) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-car or short | 1 car wide, 1 to 2 car lengths (about 12 x 20 to 12 x 40 ft) | $30–$65 | $375–$450 |
| Standard 2-car | 2 cars wide, 2 to 3 lengths (about 20 x 40 to 24 x 60 ft) | $50–$80 | $550–$900 |
| 3-car or extra wide | 3 cars wide, or a 2-car with extra length | $85–$115 | $850 and up |
| Long, steep or gravel | Rural lanes, grades, obstacles | $110–$120 on the one list that prices it; most firms quote these individually | $1,100–$1,250 |
| City frontage | 25 ft of public sidewalk plus front walk, salted | $129–$169 | Prepaid credit passes from $499 |
The low end of each tier comes from operators that run tight routes or bill bare plowing; the high end usually bundles salt, an earlier response promise or a walkway. Read the scope line, not just the price: Madison’s $80 includes salt, while Rosemount’s $60 is plow-only with salting at +$15 to $25.
Uses the per-push ranges in this guide, built from contractors' published 2026–27 prices. Seasonal contracts run about $375–$1,250 and cap the bill in a heavy winter. Local prices vary; see How we built these numbers.
Enter the number of plowable snowfalls you expect (the NOAA table below gives the average for 28 metros at a 1-inch and a 2-inch trigger), pick your driveway and typical storm size, and add salting or walkway service if you want them priced for the season.
What snow contractors actually publish: seven 2026–27 price lists
Most snow companies quote by phone. A handful post real numbers, and those numbers are the closest thing to primary price data that exists for residential snow removal. We read every page below in October 2026 and recorded only figures the company states as its own price, not “market averages” pasted from cost-guide sites.
| Company (market) | Model | Published prices | Trigger and terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosemount Plowing (Rosemount, MN) | Per push or seasonal | Single $45 / 2-car $60 / 3-car $85 / long or steep $110–$120 per push. Season $450 / $600 / $850 / $1,100–$1,200. Salting +$15–$25 a visit or $180 a season; walkway +$10–$15 or $120. | 2-inch trigger. Season Nov. 1–Mar. 31 covers up to 12 plow-outs; storms of 10 in or more count as 2 visits. |
| The Total Wash Co. (Madison, WI) | Per push | 1-car $65 / 2–3 car $80 / 4+ car $115, salt included | 1-inch trigger; commercial de-icing quoted separately |
| Snow Pushers Chicago (North Side Chicago) | À la carte or prepaid pass | Driveway 12 x 20 ft $49; sidewalk up to 25 ft with salting $129; sidewalk, walkway and gangway with salting $169; salting only $69; corner-lot extra sidewalk $69 | Passes: pay $499 / $899 / $1,499 for $549 / $999 / $1,749 in credit |
| KAGE Property Management (Osceola, WI) | Per event or monthly | $30 per plow event, or $75 a month November–March ($375 a season) | 1-inch trigger; cleared within 8 hours of snowfall ending |
| Miller Yard Care (Detroit Lakes, MN) | Seasonal | $640 a season for a standard driveway, or 5 payments of $128 | Nov. 1–Apr. 15; walks and steps extra |
| Cleveland Landscaping (Cleveland Heights area, OH) | Seasonal, per push on request | $550–$1,250 a season; per push $50 and up | Dispatch at 2 inches; driveway only, no walks; plow-damaged lawn reseeded in spring |
| KG Landscape (Minneapolis area, MN) | Seasonal | From $900 a season | Nov. 1–Mar. 31; priced up for size, sidewalks, steps, equipment access |
Two patterns stand out. First, the seasonal price is set at roughly 10 pushes: Rosemount says its contract is “priced like 10 pushes, covering up to 12,” and its 2-car season ($600) is exactly 10 times its per-push rate ($60). Second, the extras are where bills diverge. Salt, walks and steps can add $25 to $40 a visit on top of a $60 plow.
Five ways snow removal is priced, and who carries the weather risk
Every pricing model is a bet on the winter. Per-push and per-inch pricing put the risk of a heavy season on you; a seasonal flat fee puts it on the contractor, who prices that risk in. These are the models that show up in published price lists and public contracts.
| Model | How it bills | Published example | Who wins in a heavy winter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per push (per visit) | Flat fee each time the plow comes after the trigger depth | $60 a push, 2-car driveway, 2-inch trigger | Contractor |
| Depth-tiered per push (per inch) | Price steps up with each depth band | Lathrup Village, MI downtown sidewalks: $618 (1–4 in), $721 (4.1–6), $824 (6.1–8), $927 (8.1–10) per push | Contractor |
| Per event | One fee per storm, however many passes | $30 per plow event, residential | Customer, if storms are long |
| Hourly | Equipment or labor hours | MassDOT 2025–26 rate: $102 an hour for a 4×4 pickup with plow; $125 an hour for sidewalk plowing or blowing, Bozeman, MT city agreement | Contractor |
| Seasonal (flat) | One price for Nov.–Mar. or Apr., sometimes with a visit cap | $600 a season, 2-car, up to 12 plow-outs; $640, Nov. 1–Apr. 15 | Customer |
| Retainer plus overage | Monthly fee covers a set number of pushes; extras billed per push | Bozeman public lots: $6,000 a month for 6 pushes, $800 each after, $1,200 outside Nov. 1–Apr. 15 | Shared |
Depth tiers are worth reading closely. In the Lathrup Village contract for winter 2025–26, each 2-inch band added $103, so a 9-inch storm costs 50 percent more than a 3-inch one. A 2025 bid to Dexter Township, Michigan raised the price 50 percent above 5 inches of snow and 100 percent above 9 inches. That is why the calculator’s storm-size setting runs from 1.0 to 1.5.
Seasonal contract or pay per push? Count your snowfalls first
A seasonal contract is cheaper only when your winter brings more pushes than the contract is priced for. NOAA’s climate normals publish the number of days per year with at least 1 inch and at least 2 inches of new snow for every major weather station, averaged over 1991–2020. Those two counts line up with the two trigger depths contractors use.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Metro (NOAA station) | Avg. annual snowfall | Days with 1 in+ | Days with 2 in+ | Days with 5 in+ | Per-push season, 2-car at 2-in trigger (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse, NY (Syracuse Hancock Intl) | 127.8 in | 34.1 | 20.5 | 6.1 | $1,025–$1,640 |
| Rochester, NY (Rochester Intl) | 102.0 in | 29.2 | 16.1 | 3.9 | $805–$1,288 |
| Buffalo, NY (Buffalo) | 95.4 in | 25.6 | 14.7 | 4.4 | $735–$1,176 |
| Grand Rapids, MI (Grand Rapids) | 77.6 in | 23.5 | 13.5 | 3.0 | $675–$1,080 |
| Cleveland, OH (Cleveland) | 63.8 in | 19.5 | 10.9 | 2.5 | $545–$872 |
| Albany, NY (Albany) | 59.2 in | 14.6 | 8.6 | 3.2 | $430–$688 |
| Salt Lake City, UT (Salt Lake City Intl) | 51.9 in | 16.1 | 9.1 | 2.1 | $455–$728 |
| Madison, WI (Madison Dane Rgnl) | 51.8 in | 14.9 | 8.7 | 2.1 | $435–$696 |
| Hartford, CT (Hartford Bradley Intl) | 51.7 in | 12.5 | 8.4 | 2.9 | $420–$672 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN (MSP Airport) | 51.2 in | 14.6 | 8.0 | 2.1 | $400–$640 |
| Boston, MA (Boston Logan) | 49.2 in | 11.1 | 7.0 | 3.1 | $350–$560 |
| Denver, CO (Denver-Stapleton) | 49.0 in | 15.9 | 8.5 | 1.7 | $425–$680 |
| Milwaukee, WI (Milwaukee Mitchell) | 48.7 in | 13.6 | 8.0 | 2.1 | $400–$640 |
| Detroit, MI (Detroit Metro) | 45.0 in | 13.6 | 7.2 | 1.7 | $360–$576 |
| Pittsburgh, PA (Pittsburgh Intl) | 44.1 in | 14.5 | 6.8 | 1.1 | $340–$544 |
| Chicago, IL (O’Hare) | 38.4 in | 11.4 | 6.6 | 1.4 | $330–$528 |
| Providence, RI (T.F. Green) | 36.6 in | 9.8 | 6.1 | 1.7 | $305–$488 |
| Des Moines, IA (Des Moines Intl) | 36.5 in | 11.0 | 6.1 | 1.6 | $305–$488 |
| New York, NY (Central Park) | 29.8 in | 7.0 | 4.6 | 1.9 | $230–$368 |
| Columbus, OH (John Glenn Intl) | 28.2 in | 8.8 | 3.8 | 0.6 | $190–$304 |
| Omaha, NE (Eppley Airfield) | 27.1 in | 8.4 | 4.6 | 1.2 | $230–$368 |
| Indianapolis, IN (Indianapolis) | 25.5 in | 7.6 | 3.8 | 1.0 | $190–$304 |
| Cincinnati, OH (CVG Airport) | 23.3 in | 7.0 | 3.6 | 0.8 | $180–$288 |
| Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia Intl) | 23.1 in | 5.2 | 3.2 | 1.1 | $160–$256 |
| Baltimore, MD (BWI Airport) | 19.3 in | 4.6 | 2.9 | 0.9 | $145–$232 |
| Kansas City, MO (Kansas City Intl) | 18.2 in | 5.8 | 2.8 | 0.7 | $140–$224 |
| St. Louis, MO (Lambert Intl) | 16.6 in | 5.1 | 2.4 | 0.5 | $120–$192 |
| Washington, DC (Reagan National) | 13.7 in | 3.7 | 2.2 | 0.7 | $110–$176 |
Read the last column as an average-year floor, not a quote. A storm that spans midnight can need two pushes, a 10-inch storm counts as two visits on the Rosemount contract, and drifting brings return trips. Even so, the pattern is clear. In Philadelphia, Washington, St. Louis and Kansas City, three or fewer days a year bring 2 inches of snow, so paying per push will almost always beat a seasonal fee. In Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Grand Rapids, 13 to 20 such days are normal, and a seasonal contract priced at 10 pushes is a good deal in most years.
- Per push at $60
- Seasonal $600 (covers 12, then $50 a visit)
Source: Rosemount Plowing published 2026–27 rates; our arithmetic X axis = number of pushes in the season. Break-even is 10 pushes; the seasonal plan caps the bill above 12.
Show the numbers
| Per push at $60 | Seasonal $600 (covers 12, then $50 a visit) | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 240 | 600 |
| 6 | 360 | 600 |
| 8 | 480 | 600 |
| 10 | 600 | 600 |
| 12 | 720 | 600 |
| 14 | 840 | 700 |
| 16 | 960 | 800 |
| 18 | 1,080 | 900 |
| 20 | 1,200 | 1,000 |
The middle band (Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Denver, Boston, Detroit, Chicago, Salt Lake City) averages 7 to 9 days at 2 inches. Here the seasonal price usually costs a little more than a normal year of pushes. What you buy is a capped bill in a bad winter and a place on the route: per-push customers are served after contract customers when every truck is busy. Rosemount’s 2026–27 seasonal route was already full in October, which tells you how that queue works.
If you pay per push, ask how a storm is counted. The three clauses that change your bill most are the trigger depth (a 1-inch trigger brings roughly 1.5 to 2.3 times as many visits as a 2-inch trigger in the NOAA table), whether a long storm is one event or several pushes, and whether there is a cap on included visits.
Why the same driveway costs more in Syracuse than in St. Louis
Snow volume explains most of the gap in season totals. Labor explains much of the gap in per-push prices. The BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates put the median wage for landscaping and groundskeeping workers, the occupation that staffs most snow crews, at $18.82 an hour nationally, but $23.57 in Boston, $22.67 in Minneapolis-St. Paul and $22.25 in Denver, against $18.12 in Pittsburgh and $18.38 in Cleveland. First-line supervisors of those crews earn a national median of $28.09.
Equipment is the other fixed cost. Massachusetts publishes the hourly rates it pays private contractors for plow equipment with an operator. For 2025–26 those were $102 an hour for a 4×4 pickup with plow, $120 for a dual-wheel truck with a 9-foot plow, $140 for a 3-cubic-yard loader and $165 for a 10-wheel dump with an 11-foot plow. At the pickup rate, a $60 push buys about 35 minutes of truck and driver, including the drive between stops. That is why tight routes in dense suburbs post the lowest prices.
Want local wage data for crews in your state? Our landscaper salary guide and state-by-state industry data break them out.
Salting and de-icing: small material cost, real labor cost
Salt itself is cheap at the bulk level. The U.S. Geological Survey puts the 2025 average value of rock salt at about $54 a metric ton at the mine. Delivered to towns, it costs more: Pennsylvania’s statewide road-salt contract for August 2025 to July 2026 averages $88.21 a ton, from $59.62 in Erie County to $111.10 in Mifflin County, up 5.38 percent on the year. Mayfield Village, Ohio, buying through the state’s ODOT bid, pays $63.99 a ton for 2025–26, up from $48.98, and Vermont’s 2026–27 state pricing came in at $88.62 to $117.60 a ton, 10 to 15 percent above 2025–26.
| Item | Price | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock salt, average value at mine or plant | $54 per metric ton | 2025 estimate | USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 |
| Road salt delivered, Pennsylvania state contract (statewide average) | $88.21 per ton | Aug. 2025–Jul. 2026 | PA DGS COSTARS contract summary |
| Road salt, Ohio ODOT cooperative bid (Mayfield Village) | $63.99 per ton | Winter 2025–26 | Mayfield Village memo, Aug. 1, 2025 |
| Road salt, Vermont state contracts | $88.62–$117.60 per ton | 2026–27 season | Vermont League of Cities and Towns |
| Recommended dry-salt rate, parking lots and sidewalks | 0.75–3.0 lb per 1,000 sq ft (by pavement temperature) | April 2023 guidance | Minnesota Pollution Control Agency |
| Salting add-on, residential driveway | $15–$25 a visit or $180 a season | 2026–27 | Rosemount Plowing |
| Ice melt applied to school sidewalks | $30 per bag | 2025–26 contract proposal | Ogden, UT charter school board packet |
| Ice melt applied to city sidewalks and ramps | $65 per bag, labor and material | City agreement (2025 packet) | City of Bozeman, MT |
Run the numbers for a 2-car driveway of about 800 square feet. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s application guidance calls for 0.75 to 3.0 pounds of dry salt per 1,000 square feet, depending on pavement temperature. That is 0.6 to 2.4 pounds. At Pennsylvania’s $88.21 a ton (4.4 cents a pound), the salt costs 3 to 11 cents. Even at several times that price for bagged product, the material is pennies. A $15 to $25 salting charge is paying for the extra stop, the spreader, and the contractor’s exposure if someone falls.
Two practical points follow. More salt is not more safety: MPCA notes that rock salt does little below a 15°F pavement temperature, and over-application mostly ends up in lawns, concrete joints and storm drains. And if you buy salting, ask whether it is applied every visit or only on request: at Rosemount’s $15 to $25 a visit, a 15-push winter adds $225 to $375, which is why its $180 seasonal salting option exists.
Commercial snow removal rates: what public contracts show
Commercial lots are bid site by site, and private bids are rarely published. Public bodies are the exception, because their contracts go into meeting packets. The examples below show the structure of commercial pricing (per push with depth tiers, hourly equipment, retainers, multi-year discounts) more reliably than any national average.
| Buyer and scope | Price | Model | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown sidewalks and crosswalks, Lathrup Village, MI | $618 per push at 1–4 in, rising $103 per 2-inch band to $927 at 8.1–10 in; truck $200/hr; loader $250/hr; drift return $150/hr | Depth-tiered per push | DDA packet, winter 2025–26 contract |
| Charter school parking lot, Ogden, UT | $300 per push on a 1-year deal, $290 on 3 years, $280 on 5 years; sidewalks $205–$225 per clearing; lot salting $300 per application | Per push, multi-year discount | Board meeting materials, Sept. 8, 2025 |
| Four downtown public lots plus sidewalks, Bozeman, MT | $6,000 a month retainer covering 6 pushes; $800 per extra push; $1,200 per push outside Nov. 1–Apr. 15 | Retainer plus overage | City Commission packet, Sept. 23, 2025 (2023–24 pricing exhibit) |
| Parks and trails sidewalks, Bozeman, MT | $125 an hour plowing or blowing; $50 an hour ice chipping | Hourly | Same packet, agreement amendment |
| Township properties, Dexter Township, MI | Plowing and shoveling $1,200–$1,800 a season per site; lot salting $3,096–$5,736 a season; +50% above 5 in, +100% above 9 in | Seasonal with depth escalators | Board packet, April 15, 2025 |
| Hired plow equipment, Massachusetts | $102–$220 an hour depending on truck class | Hourly with operator | MassDOT 2025–26 rates as adopted by Wareham |
Notice what is missing from most commercial quotes: the salt line is often larger than the plowing line. In the Dexter Township bid, seasonal lot salting ($5,736) cost more than three times the plowing ($1,800) at the same site. For retail, medical and multifamily properties, ice control is the liability product, and it is priced that way.
For landscaping companies, snow is a sizable side business. The 2022 Economic Census counted $3.27 billion in snow removal revenue for parking lots and driveways at landscaping-services firms, 2.8 percent of industry revenue, with 16,814 establishments (14.4 percent) reporting some. That averages about $194,600 in snow revenue per reporting establishment. If you are pricing that work, our guide on how to bid landscaping jobs covers overhead and margin math that applies to snow routes as well.
Sidewalk snow rules and fines in seven snow cities
In most northern cities the sidewalk in front of your house is your job, with a deadline measured in hours. Missing it can cost more than a season of shoveling service, and some cities clear the walk themselves and send the bill. We read the code text for each city below in October 2026.
| City and code | Who must clear | Deadline | Fine | City clears and bills? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City, Admin. Code § 16-123 | Owner, lessee, tenant or occupant; same rule for homes and businesses | 4 hours after snow stops; 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. not counted | $10–$150 first; $150–$250 second within 12 months; $250–$350 after that | Yes; cost is added to the property tax bill |
| Chicago, Municipal Code 10-8-180 | Owner, lessee, tenant or occupant; 5-ft-wide path | Snow from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.: by 10 p.m.; overnight snow: by 10 a.m. | $50–$500 per offense; each day is a separate offense | Not provided in the section |
| Boston, Code 16-12.16 | Owner or manager; tenant only if the lease says so; 42-in path | 3 hours after snow ends (daytime); 3 hours after sunrise for overnight snow | City page: $50 (16 or fewer units), $100 (more than 16), $200 commercial. Ordinance text lists $100 / $150 / $250. Each day counts | Not in this section |
| Minneapolis, Ordinances 445.20–445.35 | Owner or occupant | 1- and 2-family homes: 24 hours; all other property: first 4 daytime hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) | Petty misdemeanor; each hour past the deadline is a separate violation | Yes; billed, and unpaid bills become a property-tax assessment |
| Philadelphia, Code § 10-720 | Owner, agent and tenants; owner for multifamily; 36-in path | 6 hours after snow stops | Code: $50 violation notice (§ 10-718); § 10-719 sets a $1,000 fine per violation (phila.gov lists $50 to $300) | Not provided |
| Washington, DC, Code §§ 9-601, 9-606 | Owner; may shift to a tenant by written agreement; 36-in path | First 8 hours of daylight after snow stops | Residential up to $25 (only after 24 hours); commercial $150; once per day max; owners 65+ or with a disability exempt | No (the city-removal section is repealed) |
| Madison, WI (city report on 2025–26) | Property owner | Set by city notices; no warning before a citation | About $124 first offense; $187 after | Yes; minimum $153, up to $196 with sand and salt; unpaid fees go on the tax bill |
Two things stand out. First, the fines are small next to the bills when a city does the work: Madison’s minimum clearing charge ($153) is about two pushes at the 2-car prices above. Second, the official summaries sometimes disagree with the code. Boston’s public-works page lists lower fines than the ordinance text, and Philadelphia’s page lists a $300 maximum while § 10-719 of the current code sets a $1,000 fine per violation. When they conflict, the code governs.
Denver’s code (DRMC § 49-551) requires owners and occupants to clear adjoining sidewalks “immediately after every snowfall” and lets the transportation department set the details by rule. We could not load the city’s rule and fine pages in October 2026, so we have left Denver’s deadlines and fines out of the table rather than repeat unverified numbers.
If you hire a contractor for the sidewalk, write your city’s deadline into the contract. A 2-inch trigger and “cleared by morning” can still miss Boston’s 3-hour or New York’s 4-hour window after a daytime storm.
Slip-and-fall liability: who is on the hook
Ordinance fines and injury lawsuits are separate questions. The fine depends on your city’s code; whether you are liable when someone slips depends mostly on state law, which differs from state to state and is not something a price page can settle. A few code provisions do speak to it directly. Chicago’s code (section 10-8-190, next to the snow rule) says a person who removes snow or ice from the public sidewalk is not liable for civil damages because of that removal, except for willful or wanton misconduct.
Leases matter too. Boston puts the duty on a tenant only when a written lease requires it, and the D.C. Code lets an owner shift it to a tenant only by written agreement. If you rent out a property, put the snow duty in the lease or budget for a contractor.
When a contractor does the work, three documents protect you: a written scope that names every surface (driveway, apron, walks, steps, public sidewalk), a response time that fits your city’s deadline, and a certificate of liability insurance naming you as certificate holder. Commercial owners should also get a service log or timestamped photos for each visit; that record is what answers a claim months later.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Sidewalk rules, fines and liability law change and vary by city and state; confirm with the code section or agency linked for your city before relying on it.
Hire or shovel it yourself?
The money case for doing it yourself is simple: an average Twin Cities winter is about 8 pushes at a 2-inch trigger, or $400 to $640 of plowing for a 2-car driveway at published rates. The health case is less simple. A study of national emergency-room data estimated that snow shoveling sent about 11,500 people a year to U.S. emergency departments from 1990 to 2006. Most injuries were exertion strains (53.9 percent) or slips and falls (20.0 percent); cardiac cases were 6.7 percent of visits but accounted for all 1,647 deaths in the data.
Snowblowers shift the risk to hands. A study of the same federal injury database found an estimated 91,451 snowblower-related emergency visits from 2003 to 2018, about 5,700 a year by our division. Putting a hand into the chute caused 44.5 percent of them, and 99.8 percent of the amputations involved fingers. Of 648 deaths, 647 were cardiac events.
The American Heart Association says heavy snow shoveling can raise heart rates above 85 percent of maximum within two minutes, and its expert advises that people who have had a heart attack, stroke, bypass surgery or angioplasty “simply should not be shoveling snow.” It also lists a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure as risk factors. Pushing snow is easier on the heart than lifting and throwing it.
A reasonable split for many households: hire the plow for the driveway and keep the shovel for steps and the walk, or the reverse if the public sidewalk is long and the driveway is short. If your city requires sidewalk clearing within a few hours and you travel or work early, one avoided fine or city clearing bill pays for several contractor visits.
Why snow removal costs more than it did five years ago
BLS does not publish a price index for snow removal. The closest consumer series, CPI-U “gardening and lawncare services”, rose 52 percent from September 2019 to September 2025 and 63.5 percent through August 2026, while overall consumer prices rose about 30 percent over the same span. The series covers outdoor property services generally, so treat it as a direction, not a snow-specific number.
- Gardening and lawncare services (CPI-U SEHP02)
- All items (CPI-U)
Source: BLS Consumer Price Index, series CUUR0000SEHP02 and CUUR0000SA0, not seasonally adjusted BLS did not publish a September 2022 value for the lawncare series, so 2022 is omitted. August 2026 is the latest month. Our rebasing.
Show the numbers
| Gardening and lawncare services (CPI-U SEHP02) | All items (CPI-U) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2019 | 100 | 100 |
| Sep 2020 | 102.30 | 101.40 |
| Sep 2021 | 106.50 | 106.80 |
| Sep 2023 | 120.90 | 119.90 |
| Sep 2024 | 133.50 | 122.80 |
| Sep 2025 | 152 | 126.50 |
| Aug 2026 | 163.50 | 130.50 |
Inputs moved too. Mayfield Village’s ODOT-bid salt price rose 31 percent in one year ($48.98 to $63.99 a ton), Vermont’s 2026–27 contracts rose 10 to 15 percent, and the producer price index for commercial turf and grounds-care equipment rose 31.7 percent from August 2019 to August 2026 (August 2026 is preliminary). Crew pay rose faster than inflation: BLS average hourly earnings in landscaping services climbed from $17.40 in 2015 to $27.63 in 2025.
Eight things to check before you sign a snow contract
- Trigger depth. 1 inch or 2 inches. Across the 28 metros in the NOAA table, a 1-inch trigger means about 1.5 to 2.3 times as many visits as a 2-inch one.
- Visit cap. “Unlimited” or a stated number (Rosemount covers 12). Ask the rate for visits beyond the cap.
- How big storms count. Some contracts count a 10-inch storm as two pushes or switch to per-visit billing above a set depth.
- Season dates. November–March versus November–mid-April matters in snowbelt cities. Bozeman’s lot contract charges 50 percent more per push outside its window.
- What “cleared” includes. Driveway only, or walks, steps, mailbox and the city plow ridge at the end of the drive.
- Salt. Included, per visit, or seasonal, and whether it is applied every visit or on request.
- Response time. A stated window (for example, within 8 hours of snowfall ending) is worth more than “before your commute” with no guarantee.
- Damage and insurance. Who repairs plow-scarred turf and broken edging (one Cleveland firm reseeds in spring), and a certificate of liability insurance. Our guide to checking a landscaper’s license shows how to verify registrations in states that require them.
Older homeowners on fixed incomes should check city programs before paying retail. Hudson, Ohio gives qualifying residents 65 and over five driveway-plowing vouchers for 2026–27, and Mentor, Ohio piloted a voucher program for up to 74 senior households in 2025–26. Many senior centers and councils on aging run similar lists.
How we built these numbers
Per-push ranges. We compiled residential prices from seven snow contractors that publish their own rates (linked above; all pages read in October 2026). We used only prices stated as the company’s own, and set each driveway tier’s range from the lowest to the highest published price for that tier: single-car $30 (KAGE, any size) to $65 (Total Wash, salt included); 2-car $50 (Cleveland Landscaping’s starting per-push rate) to $80 (Total Wash, salt included), with Rosemount’s $60 in between; 3-car $85 (Rosemount) to $115 (Total Wash 4+ car, salt included); long or steep $110–$120 (Rosemount, the only list pricing it); city frontage $129–$169 (Snow Pushers Chicago). The sample is small and weighted to the Upper Midwest, so treat the ranges as estimates.
Seasonal ranges. Published seasonal prices: $375 (KAGE, 5 x $75), $450–$1,200 (Rosemount by tier), $550–$1,250 (Cleveland Landscaping), $640 (Miller Yard Care), from $900 (KG Landscape). The headline $375–$1,250 is the span of those figures.
Season estimates by metro. NOAA 1991–2020 normals: average annual days with at least 2.0 inches of new snowfall at the listed station, multiplied by $50 and $80. Daily snowfall counts approximate pushes; real winters vary widely around the normal, and multi-day storms, drifting and two-pass rules add visits.
Calculator. Visits x per-push range for the chosen driveway x storm-size factor (1.0 for mostly 2–4 inches; 1.25 for mostly 4–8 inches, midway between the 16.7 and 33.3 percent steps in the Lathrup Village depth tiers; 1.5 for 8 inches or more, matching Lathrup’s 8.1–10 inch tier and Dexter Township’s 50 percent escalator above 5 inches). Salting adder: 8 visits x $15–$25 = $120–$200 (Rosemount sells it at $180 a season). Walkway adder: 8 x $10–$15 = $80–$120 (Rosemount: $120 a season). The adders assume an 8-visit winter; scale them for more.
Salt arithmetic. 800 sq ft x 0.75–3.0 lb per 1,000 sq ft = 0.6–2.4 lb; at $88.21 per short ton ($0.044 per lb) = $0.03–$0.11. Truck-time arithmetic: $60 / $102 an hour = 0.59 hours, about 35 minutes.
What we did not do. We did not collect quotes, survey homeowners or observe any snow work. We excluded cost-guide and marketplace averages (Angi, Lawn Love, Thumbtack and similar) because they do not publish their underlying data.
Snow removal questions people ask
What is the average price for snow removal?
For a standard 2-car driveway, published 2026–27 contractor prices put one plowing visit at about $50 to $80, with single-car drives at $30 to $65 and 3-car drives at $85 to $115. Seasonal contracts on the same price lists run about $375 to $1,250. These are estimates from seven contractors’ own rate cards, not a national survey.
How much should I pay to have my driveway plowed?
Match the price to your size tier and your trigger. A 2-car driveway at a 2-inch trigger runs $50 to $80 a push; salt adds $15 to $25. For a season, multiply the per-push price by your city’s typical number of 2-inch snowfalls from the NOAA table (about 8 in Minneapolis, 7 in Boston, 15 in Buffalo) and compare that with the seasonal quote.
How much to plow a 200 ft driveway?
A 200-foot drive falls in the long-driveway tier. The one published price list that prices that tier charges $110 to $120 per push, or $1,100 to $1,200 for a season; gravel, grades and drifting push it higher, and many firms quote these by the hour. Massachusetts’ 2025–26 rate for a pickup with plow and operator is $102 an hour, a useful check on an hourly quote.
How much should I charge to remove snow from a 600 sq ft driveway?
600 square feet (for example 12 x 50 or 20 x 30 feet) sits between the single-car and 2-car tiers on published price lists: about $45 to $60 per push for plowing only, and $65 to $80 where salt is included. Price your own route from your costs; at a $102-an-hour truck rate, $60 covers about 35 minutes including travel between stops.
Is residential snow removal worth it?
It depends on your snowfall and your schedule. In cities with three or fewer 2-inch snowfalls a year (Philadelphia, Washington, St. Louis) paying per push is cheap insurance. In the snowbelt, a seasonal contract buys a capped bill and a spot on the route, and if your city fines owners for uncleared sidewalks within hours, one avoided fine or city clearing charge ($153 minimum in Madison) covers two or three pushes.
Why is snow removal so expensive?
Contractors carry trucks, plows and crews on standby for a few dozen hours of work a year. Massachusetts pays $102 to $220 an hour for plow equipment with an operator, crew wages in snow metros run $18 to $24 an hour at the median, road-salt contract prices in the contracts we found rose 5 to 31 percent year over year, and the CPI for gardening and lawncare services is up 63.5 percent since September 2019.
How much does snow removal cost per hour?
Public contracts show the range: $102 an hour for a pickup with plow under Massachusetts’ 2025–26 rates, $125 an hour for sidewalk plowing in a Bozeman, Montana city agreement, and $200 an hour for a plow truck and $250 for a loader in Lathrup Village, Michigan’s 2025–26 contract. Residential work is usually sold per push rather than by the hour.
At what age should a person stop shoveling snow?
There is no medical age cutoff. The American Heart Association points to health, not age: people who have had a heart attack, stroke, bypass surgery or angioplasty should not shovel, and risk factors such as inactivity, smoking, diabetes and high blood pressure raise the danger. In emergency-room data, 21.8 percent of shoveling injury patients were 55 or older. Washington, DC exempts residential owners 65 and older from its sidewalk fine.
Sources
- Rosemount Plowing, Snow Plowing Prices in Rosemount, MN (2026–27 rates), 2026–27 season, checked Oct. 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- The Total Wash Co., Snow Removal Madison WI: prices per push, checked Oct. 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- Snow Pushers Chicago, Pricing: Winter Pass and snow removal rates, checked Oct. 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- KAGE Property Management, Snow Services: 2026/2027 driveway snow removal, 2026–27 season, checked Oct. 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- Miller Yard Care and Construction, How much does snow removal cost in Detroit Lakes, MN (2026–27 pricing), 2026–27 season, checked Oct. 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- Cleveland Landscaping, Winter plowing and salting FAQ, undated, checked Oct. 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- KG Landscape, Minnesota residential snow removal, undated, checked Oct. 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, annual/seasonal station files, 1991–2020 normals. Accessed October 2026.
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals product page, 1991–2020 normals. Accessed October 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics tables (national, state and metropolitan), May 2025 estimates, released May 15, 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Economic Census, product lines by industry (ECNNAPCSIND2022), NAICS 561730, 2022 data, posted April 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U, gardening and lawncare services (CUUR0000SEHP02), Sept. 2019–Aug. 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, PPI, commercial turf and grounds care equipment (WPU111401), Aug. 2019–Aug. 2026 (2026 preliminary). Accessed October 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics, average hourly earnings, landscaping services, 2015–2025 annual. Accessed October 2026.
- U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Salt, 2025 estimates, published 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- Pennsylvania Department of General Services, COSTARS, Sodium Chloride (Bulk Road Salt) contract, August 2025–July 2026 season, Aug. 2025–Jul. 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- Mayfield Village, Ohio, Memorandum: Winter Road Salt, ODOT, Aug. 1, 2025. Accessed October 2026.
- Vermont League of Cities and Towns, State Road Salt Contracts for 2026-27, Aug. 20, 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Deicer fact sheet and application rate guidance (p-tr1-20), April 2023. Accessed October 2026.
- Town of Wareham, Massachusetts, Snow Plowing and Removal Services contract, 2025–2026 (MassDOT hourly rates), 2025–26 season. Accessed October 2026.
- City of Lathrup Village, Michigan, Downtown Development Authority, Meeting packet: Snow Removal Contract Winter 2025/2026, 2025–26 season. Accessed October 2026.
- City of Bozeman, Montana, City Commission regular meeting packet (snow removal agreements), Sept. 23, 2025. Accessed October 2026.
- Dexter Township, Michigan, Board of Trustees meeting packet (snow and grounds proposals), April 15, 2025. Accessed October 2026.
- Leadership Learning Academy (Utah Public Notice Website), Board meeting materials: Ogden campus landscaping and snow removal proposal, Sept. 8, 2025. Accessed October 2026.
- City of Madison, Wisconsin, Snowy Winter Leads to Twice as Many Sidewalk Clearing Complaints, April 30, 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- City of New York (American Legal Publishing), Administrative Code § 16-123, Removal of snow, ice and dirt from sidewalks, current through Oct. 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- City of Chicago (American Legal Publishing), Municipal Code 10-8-180, Snow and ice removal, current through Oct. 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- City of Boston (American Legal Publishing), Code of Ordinances 16-12.16, Snow, slush and ice on sidewalks and curb ramps, current through Oct. 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- City of Boston Public Works, Rules for clearing snow, checked Oct. 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- City of Minneapolis (Municode), Code of Ordinances 445.20, Duty elsewhere (and 445.30, 445.35), Supp. 73, June 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- City of Minneapolis, Sidewalk snow clearing, checked Oct. 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- City of Philadelphia (American Legal Publishing), Philadelphia Code § 10-720, Snow removal from sidewalks, current through Oct. 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- City of Philadelphia Streets Department, Snow events, checked Oct. 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Code § 9-601, Removal from sidewalks by owner of abutting property, current through Oct. 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Code § 9-606, Fines, current through Oct. 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- City and County of Denver (Municode), Revised Municipal Code § 49-551, Cleaning sidewalks, Supp. 147, July 2026. Accessed October 2026.
- American Journal of Emergency Medicine (Watson, Shields, Smith), Snow shovel-related injuries and medical emergencies treated in US EDs, 1990 to 2006, 2011; data 1990–2006. Accessed October 2026.
- Cureus (Loder, Solanki), Events Due to Snowblower Use Seen in US Emergency Departments From 2003 Through 2018, 2020; data 2003–2018. Accessed October 2026.
- American Heart Association, Snow shoveling can be hazardous to your heart, Dec. 15, 2022. Accessed October 2026.
- City of Hudson, Ohio, Residential Driveway Plowing Program, 2026–27 season. Accessed October 2026.
- City of Mentor, Ohio, Plow Contractors Sought for Operation Snow Lift, 2025–26 season. Accessed October 2026.
