Snow Clearing

snow activity report

Snow clearing activity report
no parking on roads

Street parking restrictions
Snow clearing help

Snow clearing assistance program
How roads are prioritized

How roads are prioritized
Windrow clearing

Windrow clearing
who is responsible

Snow responsibilities

In winter, Oshawa maintains

Primary roads

500+ km

Residential roads

765 km

Sidewalks

160 km

Circle graphics showing Oshawa’s snow clearing priority system in four phases. Phase 1 is the clearing of primary roads including arterial and collector roads. Phase 2 is clearing of residential roads. Phase 3 clears City sidewalks. In phase 4 crews work on properties included in Oshawa’s Snow Clearing Assistance program. Please note that in the event there is new or rapid snow accumulation the cycle starts over.

Snow clearing priority cycle

Snow clearing in Oshawa is completed using a priority system, with the City's Primary Roads cleared first. The Region of Durham maintains all regional roads in Oshawa.

Do you have concerns?

Oshawa uses a snow clearing priority system to efficiently plow and salt roads that meets and often exceeds provincial standards. 

Please check the snow clearing activity report and wait a full day. Report concerns after 12:01 a.m. on the second day by calling Service Oshawa.

Contact Service Oshawa to report a concern

Who is responsible

Failure to clear snow/ice from your sidewalks could result in a fine plus any costs that may be incurred if the City is required to carry out work to remove any snow or ice. Read the Winter Access by-law.

City of Oshawa

  • Anti-ice high priority roads and hills
  • Salt, sand and plow all city-owned roads
  • Clear sidewalks adjacent to city-owned properties
  • Clear sidewalks in the Central Business Improvement Area
  • Clear walkways and trails throughout the City
  • Clear municipal parking lots and City facility parking lots
  • Clear sidewalks and windrows for snow clearing assistance program participants
  • Update Snow Clearing Activity Report three times daily during operations

Check the snow clearing service level web map to find which roads, sidewalks, trails and walkways the City is responsible for clearing.

Home and property owners

  • Parking on the street is not allowed anytime during plowing and salting operations and will result in escalating fines. Additionally, from December 1 to April 1 there is no on-street parking from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.
  • Home/property owners are responsible for clearing  
      • the sidewalk in front of and alongside your property by midnight after the first day the snowfall has ended
      • snow at the end of driveways
      • windrows
      • snow around fire hydrants
  • Pile snow from your driveway and sidewalk onto your property, not the roadway
  • Give snow plows lots of room and make sure your vehicle is not hanging onto the road

Commercial property owners (e.g. plazas, private businesses) are required to:

  • completely clear all sidewalks and ramps abutting your property by midnight of the day following the end of the snow event. View our Snow Clearing Activity Report for details
  • clear any snow or ice from your building if it could fall onto the sidewalk or road
  • make sure pedestrians and drivers are kept safe while the snow or ice is being removed
  • use proper safety measures and warnings during the removal process

Snow plows push snow to the right side of the road, creating a long, narrow pile called a windrow at the bottom of a driveway. Windrows are an unavoidable result of clearing roads quickly and safely.

Windrow clearing is the responsibility of the home/property owner. 

Popular questions

  • Could the operator just lift the plow to stop snow from going into my driveway?
    Raising or lowering the plow will not stop driveway windrows and would leave snow on the road, resulting in unsafe conditions for drivers.

  • Could a plow take all the snow up the street and dump it in an empty boulevard?
    Snow plows push snow from the road to the right side. Trying to move all the snow to one spot would take many passes, be unsafe, and still would not remove all windrows.

  • Why can’t the driver put the snow on the boulevard between my driveway and my neighbour’s?
    Road snowplows are big and cannot safely make tight turns or back up to place snow in small spaces. Their blades are also wider than the space between many driveways.

  • I need help with my windrow. Does the City have any support?
    Yes, the Oshawa has a snow clearing assistance program. Learn more on our Snow Clearing Help page.

Do you need snow clearing assistance?

The City of Oshawa provides snow clearing assistance to community members 65 years of age or older and people with disabilities who have no community members without disabilities under the age of 65 living in the household.

Snow Clearing Assistance program details

Popular questions

An Ontario municipality can declare a significant weather event when a weather hazard is approaching or occurring and has the potential to pose a significant danger to users of the highways and sidewalks over which they have authority.

This declaration suspends the standard timelines required for municipalities to meet their winter maintenance objectives until the municipality declares the significant weather event has ended.

A significant weather event can occur when present or forecast weather includes one or more of the following conditions:

  • Significant snow accumulation during a 24-hour period
  • Ice formation that occurs without warning from the weather forecast
  • High winds leading to blowing snow and large snow drifts
  • Freezing temperatures when de-icing operations will not be effective

In the event of a significant weather event, please check for official information on our website or on our social media channels.

For detailed information on the declaration of significant weather events, you can review the Ontario Regulation 239/02.

If a new snow event begins before the snow clearing from a previous snow event has been completed, crews may need to temporarily pause snow clearing to be reactive to changing conditions throughout Oshawa. 

Please be patient. Crews are working to clear the snow around the clock to keep our roads and sidewalks safe. 

  • Be patient while waiting for your street to be cleared
  • Shovel snow back onto your property to improve visibility when entering and exiting your driveway
  • Pile snow on the right side of your driveway (facing the street) to prevent plows from pushing it back in
  • Clear snow from hydrants and catch basins
  • Place garbage, recycling, and green bins at ground level with a clear path to the road
  • Remove snow around exit doors, stairways, fire escapes, and furnace vents
  • Drive carefully, allow extra time, and adjust to conditions
  • Give plows plenty of room, as they may need to back up

The City of Oshawa only maintains the following trails during the winter:

  • Harmony Creek Trail
  • Joseph Kolodizie Oshawa Creek Bike Path
  • Michael Starr Trail
  • Waterfront Trail

The City of Oshawa does not clear paths as they are considered private roads.

Fire hydrants are maintained by the Region. Residents and businesses are asked to clear snow by 2 ft. to make the hydrant visible from the road 

Would you be 72 hours ready?

Learn how to get prepared before, during and after a storm.

Types of Emergencies

Contact Us

Service Oshawa
Oshawa City Hall
50 Centre St. S.
Oshawa, ON L1H 3Z7
Phone: 905-436-3311
Toll Free: 1-800-667-4292
Email: service@oshawa.ca

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