Residents can help operations run smoothly and safely

RICHMOND HILL – Winter is on the way and City crews are ready! Our team maintains 1,100 lane km of roads, nearly 750 km of sidewalks and clears snow windrows from the end of 50,000+ residential driveways to keep Richmond Hill moving safely all season long.

Snow clearing and timelines

Plowing begins once 5+ cm of snow has accumulated. Crews aim to clear sidewalks in 14 hours, roads in 16 hours, windrows in 13 hours and dead ends/cul-de-sacs in 24 hours after the snow stops.

Primary (main) roads and sidewalks are maintained first, followed by secondary (neighbourhood) roads and sidewalks. Times may vary due to weather and traffic conditions.

Residents are asked to wait at least 16 hours after the snow stops before contacting Access Richmond Hill with service requests.

Snow windrow clearing service

Richmond Hill provides city-wide snow windrow clearing for local, residential driveways. A snow windrow is the pile of snow left at the bottom of a driveway after a snow plow has cleared the road.

We aim to clear a minimum of one car width of the driveway at the curb, so a car can pass through. Snow windrow clearing begins approximately two hours after road plows begin their routes. 

How residents can support operations

• Don’t park on the road, across the sidewalk or near the bottom of your driveway when it’s snowing and until your neighbourhood has been cleared
• Do not place anything near the road, curb or sidewalk that may obstruct plowing operations (e.g. sports equipment, landscaping etc.)
• On waste collection day, place bins away from the curb on the right side of your driveway (if you’re facing the house). Do not place them on the road
• Do not shovel snow onto the road or sidewalk

Winter parking rules

• No on-street parking 1 a.m.–7 a.m. from December 1 to March 31, unless you have a permit
• No on-street parking during ‘Winter Events’, even with a permit. A ‘Winter Event’ is declared when 5+cm of snow is expected.

Stay informed

To be notified about Winter Event declarations and maintenance activities, residents are encouraged to:

• Subscribe to RichmondHill.ca/WinterUpdates; and/or
• Follow us on X (Twitter) @myRichmondHill

Who to contact this winter

• City services - Contact Access Richmond Hill by email access@richmondhill.ca, phone 905-771-8800 or report a problem online at RichmondHill.ca/Access.
• York Region roads – Call Access York at 1-877-464-9675