Each new snowfall in Ottawa brings the inevitable annoyance – windrows.

You might also know these as those annoying piles of snow and ice left behind at the foot of your driveway by the city of Ottawa’s snowplows.

Plowing snow from Ottawa’s streets is the city’s responsibility, but the windrows keep raising numerous questions. Each time a city truck or vehicle plows the streets (or even sidewalks), they leave a swath of snow and ice that accumulate on the sides of streets and at the end of driveways. Naturally, homeowners want to know who is responsible for clearing the piled up snow on their driveways.

According to the city’s authority, it’s the homeowner’s responsibility to clear the windrows and remove the snow from their own driveways. That leaves you with two options: Keep shoveling that snow and ice, or hire the Ottawa snow removal pros to clear it for you.

Homeowners Are Responsible for Clearing Their Own Driveways

According to Ottawa city officials, windrows are not covered by any specific bylaws.

A homeowner can choose to either clean the windrows or leave them in front of their property. The city of Ottawa doesn’t impose any fines on people who choose to leave the windrow in front of their homes and properties.

However, the city’s general policy is that the city isn’t responsible for clearing windrows with the exception of extreme cases. If someone with limited mobility or a senior citizen makes a request to have their property cleared from snow, the city might schedule the crews to investigate the situation and provide help if necessary.

That can seem brutal after a big snowstorm, when the city plows come by and leave mountains of snow and ice blocking your driveway. The longer it sits, the more it tends to freeze and solidify, making removal even more difficult for you, the homeowner or resident.

Snow Clearing in Ottawa Requires Mutual Effort

Snow is a common fact of life during winter in Ottawa. It’s simply inevitable. The city has a very high number of driveways within it, and adding additional equipment and people to clear windrows would be extremely costly. The solution could be found in windrow gates.

These attachments for grades prevent snow plows from piling up snow at driveways. However, they aren’t suitable for residential areas where driveways are close together. They are a better solution for more rural neighbourhoods.

It’s the responsibility of Ottawa homeowners to clear windrows at the end of their driveway and clear snow off sidewalks near their property.

Shovelling snow and ice can take its toll. Wet, heavy snowfalls are often called “heart attack machines.”

That intensifies when you’ve just shovelled all the snow and ice from your driveway and walkway, only to see the city snowplow come by and leave another giant chore for you to deal with.

Why not take the burden off yourself and leave it to the snow removal professionals?

Call on the Trusted Ottawa Snow Removal Professionals to Clear Driveways

If you don’t want to bother yourself with all that snow and shovelling, you can hire the trusted Ottawa snow removal professionals to make your driveway and property accessible, safe and clear.

If you go ahead and sign up in advance of your snow removal needs at the beginning of the winter season, you can save a lot of effort and money while gaining peace of mind.

At Hunt Club East Snow & Lawn, we are fully dedicated keeping our customers’ properties clear of snow and ice. Our snowplow crews are on call once a minimum amount of snow is imminent. We make a pass through the service areas early on, and we return to clear the driveways and windrows once the snow has stopped.

If you need snow blowing and removal services in or near Ottawa’s Hunt Club East area, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Hunt Club East Snow & Lawn today.