Snow Plow Operations

Following the recent snow event, the Public Works Department received several calls and emails requesting clarification of our snowplow operations.  The summary below is a brief outline of our snowplow policy which is available to view below.

Snow plowing operations follow a three-fold priority system. Emergency routes are addressed first, followed by residential streets, with trails, rinks and parking lots designated as third priority. A full snow plowing response is initiated when snowfall accumulation reaches approximately 2” of snow on the ground. For economic and efficiency reasons, we try to time the full call out as close to the end of the snow event as possible as the city does not have the resources to continuously plow.  For safety reasons, the crews are limited to a maximum of 12 hours behind the wheel.

Plowing routes originate from the Public Works facility on Zanzibar Lane and plow their way to the north, south, east, and west quadrants of the City.  The volume of snow deposited impacts the speed with which the plows can get through their routes, a significant event like the most recent one significantly impacts the speed that the plows can travel.

The City’s goal is to plow streets curb to curb each snow event. However, this can be inhibited by cars parked on streets prior to plowing, garbage and recycling containers placed on the street instead of the end of the driveway.  Residents can assist plow operations by placing stakes behind the curb in front of the property to protect sod, ensuring snow cleared from driveways remains on your property and is not pushed into the street, and clearing snow from the curb line in front of your property to help reduce snow accumulation at driveway entrances.



Snowplow Policy

If you have additional questions, please contact Martin Farrell at mfarrell@daytonmn.gov.