Snow Clearing

The City maintains 1,100 lane km of roads, nearly 750 km of sidewalks and clears snow windrows from the end of 50,000+ local, residential driveways.

Weather conditions trigger the following services:

0-5 cm of snow/ice – Salting of roads; salting and plowing of sidewalks as required
5+ cm of snow in forecast – Winter Event declared and on-street parking is prohibited
5+ cm of snow accumulated - Plowing of roads, sidewalks and windrows
10+ cm of snow – Significant Weather Event may be declared; operations may take longer than usual

Our goal is to maintain roads so they are safe and passable. Some snow and/or slush may remain in places.

How long does it take to clear snow?

Staff work hard to clear roads, sidewalks and windrows as quickly and efficiently as possible. Once the snow stops, we aim to clear the snow in 14 hours for sidewalks, 16 hours for roads, 13 hours for windrows and 24 hours for wide bends, dead ends and cul-de-sacs. Times may vary due to snowfall amounts, length of storm, time of day (e.g rush hour), etc.

Primary (main) roads and sidewalks are plowed and salted first, followed by secondary (neighbourhood) roads and sidewalks. Snow windrow clearing starts two hours after road plows begin their routes.

Please wait 16 hours after the snow has stopped falling before contacting Access Richmond Hill with service requests.

Subscribe for Winter Maintenance Updates

How you can help support winter operations

Residents can help winter operations run smoothly and safely by doing the following:

Keep roads and sidewalks clear of parked cars when it’s snowing and before snow is expected, so plows and emergency vehicles can get through or you could be ticketed and/or towed. Winter maintenance operations start before it snows
Make sure to park in a way that does not block the sidewalk. Vehicles that overhang sidewalks make it difficult for plows to pass through safely
and may cause delays in sidewalk clearing
Do not place anything within one metre of a road, curb or sidewalk that can become hidden and cause issues for plow operators (e.g. basketball nets, landscaping features, etc.)
Do not park near the bottom of your driveway
On your waste collection day, place waste bins away from the curb on the right side of your driveway (when facing the house), so we can clear the snow windrow
Do not shovel snow back onto the road or sidewalk
Driving near a snow plow? Keep a safe distance. Blowing snow and blind spots can obscure a driver’s vision, making it harder to see smaller vehicles
Be a Hydrant Hero by clearing one metre of snow from around fire hydrants near your property to make them accessible in case of an emergency

On-street parking

You cannot park on the street when the City of Richmond Hill has declared a 'Winter Event' which is expected to require snow clearing. If your vehicle is parked on the street during a winter event or so as to interfere with winter operations, you may receive a ticket and have to pay a fine. If your vehicle is in the way of our plows, salters or emergency vehicles, it could be towed.

In addition, there is no parking on any street between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. from December 1 to March 31.

For more information, visit the Parking page.

Temporary Parking Permits

When a 'Winter Event' is declared, temporary on-street parking permits are not valid for on-street parking. During this time, you can park at select City-owned facilities if you cannot arrange alternative off-street parking. Please ensure that the temporary parking permit is displayed clearly on your vehicle’s dash. A list of select City-owned facilities can be found at RichmondHill.ca/ParkingPermits.

Winter Event and Significant Weather Event Declarations

A 'Winter Event' is declared when 5+cm of snow/icefall is expected within the next 24 hours. During Winter Events, on-street parking is prohibited. Temporary parking permits are no longer valid for on-street parking, but can be used at select City-owned facilities.

A 'Significant Weather Event' may be declared when an approaching or occurring extreme weather hazard has the potential to pose danger to users of roadways and sidewalks. Extreme weather conditions include freezing rain, significant snowfall, strong winds, blowing snow and reduced visibility. As a result, it may take longer than normal to complete winter maintenance activities.

Subscribe to receive Winter Event notifications.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

You can find answers to some of the most frequently asked snow clearing questions on our Winter Maintenance FAQs page.

Major routes

Major roads, such as Bayview Avenue and Leslie Street, are Regional roads that are maintained by York Region.

Regional roads in Richmond Hill include:

Yonge Street, Highway 7 to Bloomington Road
Bathurst Street, Highway 7 to Bloomington Road

Bayview Avenue, Highway 7 to Bloomington Road
Leslie Street, Highway 7 to Bloomington Road
Carrville Road, Bathurst Street to Yonge Street
16th Avenue, Yonge Street to Highway 404
Major Mackenzie, Bathurst Street to Highway 404
Elgin Mills Road, Bathurst Street to Highway 404
Gamble Road, Bathurst Street to Yonge Street
19th Avenue, Yonge Street to Leslie Street
Stouffville Road, Yonge Street to Highway 404
King Road, Bathurst Street to Yonge Street
Bloomington Road, Bathurst Street to Highway 404
Highway 7, Bathurst Street to Highway 404

View a map of Richmond Hill's Regional Roads.

Contact York Region about concerns related to these Regional roads or call the 24-hour dispatch service at 1-877-464-9675, ext. 5200.

Encroachments

Image of a home and property highlighting the boulevard

An encroachment is any vegetation, landscaping or other object (i.e. sports equipment) from private property crossing onto all or a part of a public walkway, boulevard, driveway or property. Items encroaching the sidewalk or road may obstruct or be damaged by City snow clearing operations. To assist with our operations and minimize the risk of damage, please mark encroachments with a driveway marker so the plow operator can avoid it. If the item is portable (i.e. sports equipment), please move it out of the way.

The City’s Highway Obstruction By-law (17-87) prohibits the installation of hard landscaping and other types of infrastructure/obstructions within the municipal boulevard, including directly within and adjacent to the sidewalk. As such, the City will not repair damage caused to hard landscaping within these areas caused by the City’s sidewalk snow clearing plows. Anyone obstructing the road or sidewalk does so at their own risk.

If you have any questions about the Highway Obstruction By-law, please call 905-771-0198.

How to report lawn damage

The City makes every effort to minimize damage to lawns during winter operations. You can report lawn damage to Access Richmond Hill at access@richmondhill.ca, by phone at 905-771-8800 or through our online customer service portal. Your service request will be forwarded to Operations staff for review, inspection and repair in the spring.

Snow Clearing

Temporary Parking Permits

Contact(s)