Winter

Plowing
Winter in Steamboat Brochure 2017-Cover

In this mountain town, the snow falls in feet, not inches; and winter typically runs from November to April, sometimes a bit longer. In fact, Steamboat Springs’ snow is abundant and so unique that it carries its own trademark.

Please refer to our Winter Snow Brochure (PDF) for more information on plowing policies, parking restrictions and important phone numbers during the winter season. Please feel free to contact Streets at any time if you have questions or concerns.


Snow Maintenance

  • Streets maintenance is prioritized according to public safety requirements and traffic volumes with a focus on access routes for emergency vehicles, bus and commercial routes, and then residential areas.
  • During the winter season, Streets crews maintain an aggressive plowing schedule to manage an average of 300 inches of snowfall per year and keep roadways clear for vehicle traffic. Winter maintenance crews work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to clear snow and ice from city streets. In addition, Streets Division personnel are on call 24 hours a day year-round to respond to urgent matters.
  • Streets uses an average of 2,800 tons of scoria per winter season to improve traction on city streets. The City applies scoria material to collector streets and on bus/emergency vehicle routes and roads that have steep grades and is also applied at major intersections where stopping and turning are difficult. 
  • Please keep a few points in mind to help us out during the busy winter season:
    • Be patient. Streets maintenance is prioritized according to public safety requirements and traffic volumes with a focus on access routes for emergency vehicles, bus and commercial routes, and then residential areas. Snow operations are labor intensive and equipment does fail on occasion.
    • Observe "No Parking 2:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m." signs. During the late night and early morning hours, crews plow and haul snow away from commuter and side streets.
    • Be a good neighbor. It is unlawful to push or plow your snow into or across the roadway. Homeowners and residents are responsible for maintaining their own driveways and parking areas. Your snow must be disposed of on your own property. Disposing of snow in roadways will only affect your neighbor. This code will be enforced and fines may apply.
    • Snowplow Safety. Snow removal crews work long hours to keep the streets safe and we ask for everyone’s cooperation to help keep them safe as well. Remember, plow trucks cannot stop or turn as readily as most vehicles. Please allow ample space for our snowplows to maneuver freely.

Residential NeighborhoodsSnow Removal Opens in new window

Plowing Strategy. As a general rule, snow on residential neighborhood streets is plowed half to one side, half to the other side of each street. This is done by circling city blocks, starting in the center of the street with a motor grader equipped with a snow plow wing attachment. We work our way to the sides of the street where we leave the snow in the city right-of-way, which we call the "snow storage area". 

Snow Storage. The City’s snow storage area is located on private property in the first five feet from the outside edge of the asphalt or curb and gutter. This space is otherwise known as the "public right-of-way".

Driveways & Windrows. When plowing is required, snow piles called "windrows" are created across driveways. Removal of this snow in driveways is the responsibility of the property owner. Crews make every attempt to keep this issue to a minimum and we ask citizens to be patient and recognize that during the winter months there will be some inconvenience. If snow from residential sidewalks, driveways or mailbox areas is put in the street it will be plowed back to the side of the road to remove the safety hazard from the street which can inadvertently result in a windrow across your or your neighbor’s driveway.

Sidewalks, Mailboxes & Alleyways. All snow from private property or adjacent sidewalks must be stored on private property and not in the City’s snow storage area located in the public right-of-way. Please note that the city is not responsible for snow removal on or around sidewalks, driveways or mailboxes. Within the City of Steamboat Springs, adjacent property owners/tenants are responsible for proper same-day removal of snow from sidewalks, without depositing the snow into the city streets.

We also plow to the end of each core alley. Please do not place snow from private property into the snow piles at the end of the alleyways as this creates a safety hazard.  Moving snow from private property to the City’s snow storage area in the public right-of-way is in violation of Municipal Codes Sec. 20-5 and Sec. 15-6, Paragraph 7 (PDF).

Privately Contracted Snow Plowing Services. Property owners and privately contracted plow services should be aware that the placing, dumping or pushing of snow onto city streets or right-of-ways from adjacent properties is prohibited. Steamboat Municipal Codes: Sec. 20-5 and Sec. 15-6, Paragraph 7