A snow removal contract sets out when a plow or shovel crew shows up, what they clear, how they’re paid, and who handles ice and damage. Property owners, HOAs, small businesses and plow operators all use one, usually signed in the fall before the first storm. This free template covers residential driveways and small commercial lots, in Word and PDF.
Which pricing model should you pick: per push, per inch or seasonal?
Choose based on who should carry the weather risk. Here’s how the three common models compare.
| Model |
How it’s billed |
Good for |
Watch out for |
| Per push (per visit) |
A flat fee each time the crew plows |
Clients who want to pay for what they get |
A long storm can mean several pushes in one day |
| Per inch (or per event by depth) |
A price band for each range of snowfall, e.g. 2 to 4 inches, 4 to 8 inches |
Lots where heavy snow means much more work |
Agreeing where the snowfall is measured |
| Seasonal |
A fixed fee for the whole winter, often in installments |
Clients who want a fixed budget |
A season cap on visits, and what happens after it |
Take a hypothetical case. A small medical office in Erie wants its 22-space lot cleared by 7 a.m. every weekday. The owner prefers a $5,400 seasonal fee paid in five installments so the budget doesn’t swing. The operator agrees but caps the season at 30 pushes and charges $210 per push after that. Both sides know the number before December. Our template has a checkbox for each model and room for caps and extra-visit rates.
When does the plow actually come?
The contract should answer that with numbers, because “after it snows” isn’t a schedule.
Trigger depth. The snowfall that starts service, like 2 inches. Say where it’s measured (at the site, or a named weather station) because two people standing in the same parking lot will still argue about an inch.
Timing and priority. When the lot has to be open (by 7 a.m., or within 4 hours after snowfall stops), and whether the crew clears during the storm or only after. Plow operators run routes, so write down where your site falls. A 24-hour business may want to pay for a higher place in the route.
What gets cleared. Driveway, lot, drive lanes, walks, steps, loading docks, fire hydrants. Anything left off the list isn’t included.
On-call visits. How the client can ask for service below the trigger depth, and what it costs.
Why does a snow contract need a site map?
A marked-up site map is the easiest way to prevent both damage and missed areas. Mark where snow gets piled (not on the drain, not blocking sight lines at the exit), where the curbs, islands, sprinkler heads and planting beds are, and which walks are the contractor’s job. Stakes or reflective markers before the first freeze help the operator find edges under snow. The template refers to the map as Exhibit A.
Who is responsible for salting and ice?
The contract should say whether de-icing is included, what material is used, and whether it’s applied automatically or only on request. Ice is where most disputes and injury claims start, so be specific.
Salt also has a cost beyond the invoice. Minnesota’s Pollution Control Agency runs a Smart Salting program because chloride from de-icers pollutes lakes, streams and groundwater, and it says its training helps organizations cut salt use by 30 to 70 percent. It’s reasonable to write in an application rate or ask that the crew follow a training program like that.
Who pays for property damage and slip-and-fall claims?
Each party should carry the risk it can control. The contractor is responsible for damage it causes and for doing its work with reasonable care. The client is responsible for things the contractor wasn’t hired to watch: refreezing between visits, meltwater from a leaking gutter, a walkway the client decided to handle themselves.
The template asks the client to report plow damage within a set number of days (turf damage often only shows once the snow melts), requires the contractor to carry liability insurance, and has each side indemnify the other for its own negligence. One thing a contract can’t do is take away an injured visitor’s rights under state premises liability law. Talk to your insurer and a local lawyer if a commercial site sees heavy foot traffic.
What if you sell snow plowing door to door?
The FTC’s cooling-off rule gives buyers three business days to cancel many sales made at their home when the price is $25 or more. A plow operator knocking on doors in October to sign seasonal driveway contracts may be covered. If so, you have to give the buyer a receipt or contract with your name and address and a notice of the right to cancel, and refund within 10 business days if they do. The rule has an emergency exception, but it applies only when the buyer started the contact, and it needs a signed, dated statement in the buyer’s own handwriting waiving the right, so don’t count on it for routine plowing.
How do you fill in a snow removal contract and get it signed?
- Walk the property with the client and mark up the site map.
- Pick the pricing model and fill in the trigger depth, timing and extra-visit rates.
- Decide on salting, material and how it’s billed.
- Attach certificates of insurance.
- Sign before the season starts, and keep the signed copy where the crew can check it.
Snow removal contracts are easy to e-sign. The ESIGN Act says a contract can’t be denied legal effect only because it’s electronic. Our article on getting a document signed by multiple people helps when an HOA board has to sign too. For warm-season work, see our lawn care contract.
Download it, fill in the blanks, and send it for e-signature with any tool you like. (We’re building SignWren for exactly this; join the waitlist.)
This template and guide are general information, not legal advice. For a specific contract or claim, talk to a lawyer licensed where the property is.
Template from signwren.com. General information, not legal advice. Check your state's rules and adapt it before you use it.
SNOW REMOVAL SERVICE AGREEMENT
This Snow Removal Service Agreement ("Agreement") is made on [date] between:
Client: [full legal name of property owner, manager or association], of [mailing address] ("Client"), and
Contractor: [business legal name], of [address] ("Contractor").
1. Property
Contractor will provide snow and ice services at [street address, city, state, ZIP] (the "Property"). The areas to be serviced, snow piling areas, and known obstacles are shown on the site map attached as Exhibit A.
2. Season
This Agreement covers the season from [start date] to [end date]. Snow events outside these dates are not covered unless both parties agree in writing.
3. Services
Contractor will provide the following services (tick all that apply):
☐ Plowing of driveway / parking lot / drive lanes as shown on Exhibit A
☐ Shoveling or snow blowing of walkways, steps and entrances: [list]
☐ Clearing around fire hydrants, dumpsters and loading docks: [list]
☐ De-icing (see Section 7)
☐ Snow relocation or hauling off site (billed under Section 6)
☐ Other: [describe]
Areas not listed are not included.
4. When Service Starts (Trigger Depth)
Contractor will begin service when snow accumulation at the Property reaches [number] inches. Accumulation will be measured ☐ at the Property ☐ by the reported total at [named weather station or source].
Client may request service below the trigger depth by calling or texting [contact]. On-call visits are billed at [$ amount] per visit.
5. Timing and Priority
☐ Contractor will clear the Property during the storm at intervals of about every [number] inches, and again after snowfall ends.
☐ Contractor will clear the Property once snowfall ends.
Service areas will be open by [time, e.g. 7:00 a.m.] on [days], or within [number] hours after snowfall ends, whichever is later. The Property is on Contractor's route as ☐ priority ☐ standard. Contractor will make reasonable efforts to meet these times but is not in breach if extreme conditions, road closures, or equipment breakdown cause a delay, as long as Contractor tells Client and services the Property as soon as reasonably possible.
6. Price
Choose one pricing model:
☐ Per push. [$ amount] for each plowing visit, and [$ amount] for each walkway clearing visit.
☐ Per inch or per event by depth.
| Snowfall per event |
Price |
| [2] to [4] inches |
[$] |
| [4.1] to [8] inches |
[$] |
| [8.1] to [12] inches |
[$] |
| Over [12] inches |
[$] per additional inch, or hourly at [$] |
An "event" is continuous snowfall with no break longer than [number] hours.
☐ Seasonal. A fixed fee of [$ amount] for the season, paid in [number] installments of [$ amount] due on [dates]. The seasonal fee covers up to [number] pushes (or up to [number] inches of total seasonal snowfall). After that, visits are billed at [$ amount] each.
Extra services: snow hauling or relocation at [$ amount] per hour or per load; on-call visits under Section 4.
7. De-icing
☐ De-icing is included in the price above.
☐ De-icing is billed at [$ amount] per application, or [$ amount] per [bag / pound / ton].
☐ No de-icing. Client is responsible for all ice treatment.
Material: ☐ rock salt ☐ treated salt ☐ sand and salt mix ☐ pet-safe or low-chloride product ☐ other: [describe]. Contractor will apply de-icer ☐ automatically after each plowing ☐ only when Client requests it ☐ when Contractor sees ice during a visit. Contractor will use no more material than reasonably needed.
8. Payment
Contractor will invoice ☐ after each event ☐ monthly ☐ as scheduled in Section 6. Invoices are due within [number] days. Late payments may be charged [percentage]% per month, if permitted by law. If payment is more than [number] days late, Contractor may pause service after giving Client written notice.
9. Client Responsibilities
Client will:
- mark curbs, islands, drains, sprinkler heads, landscaping and other obstacles with stakes or markers before [date], and show them on Exhibit A;
- move vehicles and objects from service areas when asked, where reasonably possible;
- tell Contractor promptly about any hazard, such as a damaged surface, a leaking gutter, or a downspout that drains onto a walkway;
- monitor the Property between Contractor's visits and contact Contractor if more service is needed; and
- keep gutters, downspouts and drains in good repair.
10. Property Damage
Contractor will use reasonable care. Client must report any damage Contractor caused within [number] days of the service visit when it happened, or for damage hidden by snow, within [number] days after the snow melts. Contractor will repair damage it caused, at its own cost, within a reasonable time. Damage to turf and planting beds from normal plowing along marked edges will be repaired in spring ☐ at Contractor's cost ☐ at [$ amount] per hour. Contractor is not responsible for damage to unmarked objects hidden under snow, or for normal wear to pavement from plowing.
11. Ice, Refreezing and Injury Claims
Snow and ice conditions change constantly, and Contractor is on site only during service visits. Contractor is responsible for performing its services with reasonable care. Client is responsible for conditions that arise between visits, for refreezing and meltwater, and for any area or time Client did not ask Contractor to service.
Each party will defend and indemnify the other against claims for injury or damage to the extent caused by its own negligence or breach of this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement limits the rights of any injured person under the law.
12. Insurance
Contractor will carry commercial general liability insurance of at least [$ amount] per occurrence, commercial auto insurance on plowing vehicles, and workers' compensation as required by law. On request, Contractor will provide a certificate and name Client as additional insured ☐ yes ☐ no.
13. Right to Cancel (home sales)
If this Agreement is signed at the Client's home and the FTC Cooling-Off Rule or a state home solicitation law applies, Contractor will give Client the required notice of cancellation, and Client may cancel within the time that law allows.
14. Termination
Either party may end this Agreement with [number] days' written notice. Contractor may end it sooner if payment is more than [number] days late. On a seasonal contract, if the Agreement ends early, ☐ unpaid installments for services already performed are due, and any prepaid amount for future months is refunded ☐ other: [describe].
15. General Terms
Independent contractor. Contractor is an independent contractor and supplies its own equipment and crew.
Notices. Notices must be in writing and sent by hand, email or mail to the addresses above. For routine service requests, text or phone is fine.
Entire agreement. This Agreement and Exhibit A are the entire agreement.
Amendments. Changes must be in writing and signed by both parties.
Governing law. The laws of the State of [State] govern this Agreement.
Severability. If any part is found unenforceable, the rest stays in effect.
Counterparts and electronic signatures. The parties agree this agreement may be signed electronically and in counterparts, and an electronic signature has the same effect as a handwritten one.
Exhibit A: site map showing service areas, piling areas and marked obstacles.
Signatures
Client
Signature: ______________________________
Name: [full name]
Date: [date]
Contractor
Signature: ______________________________
Name: [full name]
Date: [date]