Snow removal contract template
A snow removal contract has to settle the questions nobody wants to argue about at four in the morning: how much snow before you come, how fast you get there, what you salt, and who watches for ice once your truck has gone. This template works for driveways and for commercial lots, priced per push or for the season. Read it below, then send it from SignMaster before the first storm.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 4 min read
The contract
Gray blanks are yours to fill in before you send. Each signer fills in the blanks in their color.
- You, before sending
- Property owner or manager
- Snow removal contractor
Snow Removal Contract
This Snow Removal Contract (the "Contract") is between Snow removal company name (the "Contractor") and Client name, acting for Client business name (the "Client").
1. Site and season
The Contractor will provide snow and ice service at Property address from Season start date to Season end date.
2. Areas to be cleared
- Driveway or parking areas: Areas to plow.
- Walks, steps and entrances: Walks and entrances.
- Snow may be piled at: Snow piling locations.
- Areas not serviced: Areas not serviced.
Snow will not be piled where it blocks drains, fire hydrants, exits or drivers' sight lines.
3. When service happens
Service starts once Trigger depth in inches inches of snow have fallen. During a continuing storm the Contractor will During-storm service. The Contractor will aim to finish the first clearing within Response time in hours hours after snowfall stops and, for a business, by Clear-by time on opening days where the timing of the storm allows.
4. Price and billing
The Contractor fills in the pricing that applies:
- Per push: Price per push for each clearing.
- Per event by depth: Event prices by depth.
- Seasonal: Seasonal price for the season, covering up to Events included snow events, with each further event at Price per extra event. The seasonal price is owed whatever the snowfall, and is paid Seasonal payment schedule.
Invoices are sent Invoice timing and are due within Days to pay days.
5. Salt and ice melt
Ice melt is Ice melt included or extra, at Price per application per application if charged separately, using Ice melt product. It will be applied When ice melt is applied. Salt and ice melt can mark concrete and harm plants and turf; the Contractor is not responsible for that when the product is applied as agreed.
6. Marking, damage and reporting
Before the first snowfall, the Contractor will place stakes along driveway edges, curbs and other hazards, and the Client will point out sprinkler heads, landscape lighting, decorative stones and anything else snow could hide. The Contractor will repair damage it causes to marked or visible paving and structures. Some scraping of lawn edges and gravel is normal with plowing; spring repair of turf and gravel is Spring turf repair. The Client will report damage in writing within Days to report damage days of the visit, or once the snow melts for damage it hid.
7. Changing conditions
Snow and ice conditions change after every visit. Melting and refreezing, drifting, and foot or vehicle traffic can create slippery areas between visits. The Contractor is responsible for doing the service described in this Contract at the time of each visit. The Client will watch the property between visits, use warning signs or barriers where needed, and call the Contractor for an extra visit or salting when a hazard appears. The Contractor will log each visit with the date, arrival and departure times and the work done, and will share the log on request.
8. Vehicles and obstacles
When snow is forecast, the Client will keep vehicles, bins and other obstacles out of the areas to be cleared. The crew will clear around anything left in the way, and a return trip to finish a blocked area may be billed as an extra visit.
9. Insurance
The Contractor carries general liability and commercial auto insurance throughout the season and will provide a certificate of insurance on request.
10. Ending the Contract early
Either party may end this Contract with Cancellation notice days days' written notice. The Client pays for service performed up to the end of the notice period. Under a seasonal price, the amount owed or refunded is worked out as follows: Seasonal refund rule.
11. General terms
This Contract is the whole agreement for the season, may be changed only in writing signed by both parties, and is governed by the laws of the state of State. Electronic signatures count as original signatures.
Client contact details
Storm-day phone: Storm-day contact phone Email: Client email
I understand section 7: ice and snow can return between visits, and I will watch the property and call for extra service when it's needed.
Property owner or manager
Snow removal contractor
Opens it in SignMaster as a template you can edit and send.
A starting point, not legal advice. Have a lawyer review it for your state and situation.
On this page
Sign it before the first flake
Snow contracts get signed in the fall for a reason. Once a storm is forecast, every customer wants to be first on the route, and you need to know who's committed and at what price. A signed agreement also tells you how much salt and equipment to line up, and gives you an answer when a seasonal customer asks for money back after a mild winter.
Write it for the site you're plowing. A home driveway needs little more than a trigger depth and a price per push. A retail lot needs a clear-by time, priority areas, salting rules and a record of every visit.
What the template covers
- Areas served: the driveway or lot, walks, steps and entrances, areas you won't touch, and where you're allowed to pile snow.
- Trigger depth and storm service: how many inches before you come out, and whether you plow during a long storm or after it ends.
- Response time: hours after the snow stops, or a clear-by time for a business that opens early.
- Pricing: per push, per event by depth, or a flat seasonal price with a cap on the number of events it covers.
- Salting and ice melt: included or per application, the product, and whether you treat automatically or only when asked.
- Stakes and damage: marking edges before the season, repairs you owe, and the deadline for reporting damage.
- Changing conditions: what each visit includes, that ice can return after you leave, and the owner's job between visits.
- Season, insurance and cancellation: the season dates, your coverage, and what's refunded if the contract ends early.
Mistakes snow contractors regret in March
- No trigger depth. Without one, every flurry is a phone call. Put the inches in the contract and say whether you come at the trigger or once the storm ends.
- A seasonal price with no event cap. A heavy winter can wipe out the margin. Cap the events the price covers and set a per-push price for the rest.
- Taking on risk you can't control. Ice can re-form an hour after you leave. Describe what you do on each visit, and that the owner watches the site in between.
- No stakes and no photos. Mark curbs and lawn edges in the fall and photograph the site, so spring damage claims have something to compare against.
- No visit log on commercial sites. Record arrival and departure times and what you applied; it's the first thing an insurer asks for after a claim.
Commercial sites and liability
On a parking lot or a building, slip-and-fall liability is the big issue. Talk to your insurer about what your policy covers before you sign, and don't promise in the contract that the property will be free of snow and ice at all times. The template describes the service you deliver on each visit instead.
How to send it with SignMaster
- 1
Open the template
Choose Use this template. It's set up with the property owner or manager signing first and your company second.
- 2
Describe the site and price
Fill in the gray blanks: the areas you'll clear, the trigger depth, the response time, and either a per-push or a seasonal price. For a seasonal plan, fill in the event cap and the price of each storm beyond it.
- 3
Send it in the fall
Email each customer the agreement with a sign-by date ahead of your season. Reminders nudge the slow ones, and links that expire stop an old price being signed in January.
- 4
Ask for a site map
For a commercial lot, add an Attachment field in the editor so the manager can attach a map or photo showing piling areas. It comes back inside the signed envelope.
- 5
Countersign and build the route
You sign last. Each customer and your office get the signed PDF with its certificate of completion, and you know exactly which properties are on the route.
A whole street of driveways
Residential plowing is usually one agreement with a different price per house. Put each address, trigger depth and per-push price in a spreadsheet, name the columns after the gray blanks, and bulk send one agreement per customer. Crew sends up to 500 rows at a time, and the results file lists each row with its envelope's status, so you can see who still hasn't signed.
Questions? Answers.
What is a trigger depth in a snow removal contract?
The amount of snow, in inches, that has to fall before the contractor comes out. Below it there's no visit and no charge. Set it to suit the site: a busy store lot usually needs a lower trigger than a home driveway.
Is a snow removal company liable if someone slips?
It depends on the contract, the state and the facts, and contractors do get sued. That's why the template defines what each visit includes, says conditions change between visits, and asks the owner to report hazards. For commercial sites, involve your insurer and a lawyer.
Should I charge per push or per season?
Per push follows the weather, so you're paid for the work you do. A seasonal price gives the customer a fixed bill and you steady income, as long as you cap the events it covers.
Can I charge for salt separately?
Yes. Section 5 lets you include ice melt in the price or charge per application, name the product, and say whether you treat after every plowing or only when the customer asks.