What Goes in a Snow Removal Contract
Most snow disputes are about something the contract never said. Each clause in the template settles one of them. Here is what each one covers and what tends to happen when it is missing.
| Clause | What it settles | Without it |
|---|---|---|
| Parties and property | Who is paying, and which property you service. | An invoice sent to a tenant when the landlord signed, or plowing a lot next door that looks the same at night. |
| Service area and site map | Which surfaces you clear and where the snow goes. | A client who expects the loading dock done, and snow piled over the only drain. |
| Term and renewal | The start and end dates, and what happens next season. | A March storm nobody priced, and a client who assumes last year's price carries over. |
| Trigger depth | How much snow starts a push. | A call at 7 a.m. asking why an inch of snow was left on the drive. |
| Response time | How soon after the snow stops the property is open. | A client who read "after the storm" as 6 a.m. while your route order says noon. |
| Salting and de-icing | When you salt, with what, and what it costs. | Salt spread for free all winter because the contract never said it was extra. |
| Price | Per push, per inch, seasonal, per storm or hourly, with every number filled in. | An argument about whether a 9-inch storm costs the same as a 2-inch one. |
| Payment terms | When invoices go out and when they are due. | Seasonal clients who pay once in April, if at all. |
| Client responsibilities | Marking obstacles, moving cars, reporting ice. | A plow blade into a buried sprinkler head, and the bill for it sent to you. |
| Property damage | How and when damage is reported. | A claim in May for turf damage from a January push. |
| Insurance and liability | What coverage you carry and who answers for what. | A slip and fall claim with no agreed split of responsibility. |
| Records | What you log for each visit. | No way to show when you were there, how deep the snow was, or what you spread. |
| Ending the agreement | Notice period, and what is owed if a seasonal deal ends early. | A client who cancels in January after a heavy December and pays nothing more. |
Per Push, Per Inch, Seasonal or Hourly
The pricing section is where snow contracts differ most. The template has an option for each model; tick one and fill in its lines. The real question behind each model is who carries the weather risk.
| Model | How billing works | Who carries the weather risk | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per push | A set price each time you plow. A 2-car driveway is $35 to $75 a push; a commercial lot is $150 to $500, more for very large lots. | The client. A snowy winter costs them more. | Residential clients who want to pay only when it snows, and your first season when you do not yet know your costs. |
| Per inch (depth bands) | A per-push price that steps up with snow depth, in bands such as 1 to 3, 3 to 6, 6 to 9 and 9 to 12 inches. Hourly above that. | The client, and big storms are priced for the extra work. | Commercial lots and long drives, where a 10-inch storm takes far longer than a 2-inch one. |
| Seasonal | One price for the winter: $350 to $800 residential, $3,000 to $20,000 commercial. Best written with a cap on pushes. | You. A heavy winter costs you more, a light one pays you more. | Clients who want a fixed budget, and operators who want cash before the snow arrives. |
| Per storm event | One price per storm, however many visits it takes. | Shared. Long storms cost you more visits for the same price. | Only if you define a storm in writing, for example snow separated by 12 dry hours. |
| Hourly | A rate per hour for each machine or crew member, with a minimum per visit. | The client. | Very deep storms, continuous service during a storm, and hauling or stacking work. |
Per-inch pricing bands
Operators rarely price each inch. They set a base price for a trigger-depth storm and step it up in bands, then switch to hourly above about 12 inches, when the job turns into stacking and hauling. The residential bands are from the CrewNest snow removal pricing guide; the commercial column applies the same steps to the $300 base of the example lot below.
| Snow depth | Step | 2-car driveway, per push | 20,000 sq ft lot, per push |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 inches | base rate | $35 to $75 | $300 |
| 3 to 6 inches | about 1.5x | $50 to $110 | $450 |
| 6 to 9 inches | about 2x | $70 to $150 | $600 |
| 9 to 12 inches | 2.5x to 3x | $90 to $225 | $750 to $900 |
| Over 12 inches | hourly | Hourly rate per machine or crew member (Option D in the template) | |
Three Worked Examples
The same rates, written into the pricing section three ways. The 12-push season is the default in the CrewNest calculator's seasonal mode, used here as an example; use the number of pushes your own area gets in a normal winter.
1. Driveway, per push
- 2-car driveway, 2-inch trigger.
- Up to 3 inches: $55 a push, the middle of $35 to $75.
- 3 to 6 inches: $50 to $110. 6 to 9: $70 to $150.
- Walkway: $20 to $40 a push.
- Salting: $20 to $50 an application.
- Invoice after each storm, due in 15 days.
12 ordinary pushes bill $660 over the winter.
2. Driveway, seasonal with a cap
- Season price $660: 12 pushes at $55, inside the $350 to $800 residential range.
- Covers up to 12 pushes; each push after that is $55.
- Paid in three installments.
Light winter (8 pushes): client pays $660, against $440 per push. Heavy winter (16 pushes): client pays $880. With no cap, you would have done $880 of work for $660.
3. Commercial lot, per inch
- 20,000 sq ft lot: $300 a push on the calculator's lot-size scale.
- 3 to 6 inches $450, 6 to 9 inches $600, 9 to 12 inches $750 to $900.
- Salting: $100 to $350 an application.
- Hauling: $300 to $1,500 a load, quoted before the work.
As a seasonal deal, 12 pushes at $300 is $3,600, inside the $3,000 to $20,000 commercial range, before salting.
The Snow Removal Contract Template
Fill in every blank, tick one pricing option, and delete anything that does not apply to the property. It works for a single driveway or a commercial lot: residential clients usually get Option A or B, commercial clients A with depth bands, B, or D.
This template is not legal advice. Contract law, and especially the liability and indemnity clauses, differs by state and province. Have a local lawyer review it before you use it, and show it to your insurance agent too.
SNOW AND ICE REMOVAL AGREEMENT
Season: ____/____/______ to ____/____/______
1. PARTIES
Contractor: ______________________________
Address: ______________________________
Phone: ______________ Email: ______________
Client: ______________________________
Billing address: ______________________________
Phone: ______________ Email: ______________
2. PROPERTY AND SERVICE AREA
Property address: ______________________________
Areas included:
[ ] Driveway [ ] Parking lot [ ] Private road or lane
[ ] Sidewalks and walkways [ ] Entrances and steps
[ ] Loading docks [ ] Other: ______________
Areas not included: ______________________________
[ ] A site map is attached. It shows the areas above, where snow may be
piled, and every curb, drain, light, sign or planting to avoid.
3. TERM AND RENEWAL
This Agreement starts on ____/____/______ and ends on ____/____/______.
Work requested outside these dates is billed at the per-push rates in
Section 6.
[ ] This Agreement ends at the end of the season.
[ ] This Agreement renews for one more season at the same prices unless
either party gives written notice at least ____ days before it starts.
4. SERVICE TRIGGER AND RESPONSE TIME
4.1 Plowing starts when snow on the property reaches ____ inches.
4.2 Contractor may plow during a storm to keep the snow manageable. Each
plowing visit counts as one push.
4.3 Contractor aims to have drives and lots open within ____ hours after
snow stops falling, and walkways cleared within ____ hours.
4.4 During storms that drop more than ____ inches in 24 hours, the times in
4.3 are targets and not guarantees.
4.5 [ ] Continuous service: during a storm, Contractor stays on site and
keeps the property open. Billed at the hourly rates in Section 6, Option D.
4.6 Cleanup visit after the storm (for example, clearing the bank left at
the end of the driveway by a city plow):
[ ] Included [ ] $________ per visit
5. SALTING AND DE-ICING
5.1 Material: [ ] Rock salt [ ] Calcium chloride [ ] Magnesium chloride
[ ] Salt and sand mix [ ] Liquid brine before a storm
5.2 When applied:
[ ] After every push
[ ] When Contractor judges that ice is likely
[ ] Only when Client asks
5.3 Price: [ ] $________ per application [ ] Included in the seasonal price
5.4 Client understands that salting reduces ice but cannot guarantee a
surface free of ice. Melted snow can refreeze after Contractor leaves.
6. PRICE (tick one option and fill in its lines)
[ ] OPTION A: PER PUSH
Plowing, up to ____ inches: $________ per push
____ to ____ inches: $________ per push
____ to ____ inches: $________ per push
____ to ____ inches: $________ per push
Over ____ inches: $________ per hour
Walkways: $________ per push
[ ] OPTION B: SEASONAL
Price for the season: $________
This price covers up to ____ pushes. Each push after that is billed
at $________.
Salting: [ ] Included [ ] $________ per application
Paid: [ ] In full by ____/____/______
[ ] In ____ payments of $________, due on ______________
[ ] OPTION C: PER STORM EVENT
$________ per storm, no matter how many visits it takes.
A storm is: ______________________________
[ ] OPTION D: HOURLY
Plow truck: $________ per hour Loader: $________ per hour
Shovel crew: $________ per person per hour
Minimum charge: ____ hours per visit
Extras, priced before the work is done:
Hauling snow off site: $________ per load
Roof snow removal: $________ per visit
Other: ______________________________
7. PAYMENT
7.1 Contractor sends invoices: [ ] after each storm [ ] monthly
[ ] on the payment schedule in Option B
7.2 Payment is due within ____ days of the invoice date.
7.3 Accepted payment methods: ______________________________
7.4 Late payments: ______________________________ (only as allowed by law)
7.5 If an invoice is more than ____ days late, Contractor may pause service
after giving ____ days written notice.
8. CLIENT RESPONSIBILITIES
8.1 Before ____/____/______, mark every curb, drain, sprinkler head, light,
sign, fence or planting near the plowed areas with a stake or flag.
8.2 Keep vehicles and other items out of the plowed areas. If access is
blocked, Contractor may skip that push, or come back for a trip charge
of $________.
8.3 Tell Contractor about early openings, events, or changes to the property.
8.4 Watch for ice between visits and report it to Contractor at
______________ (phone or email).
9. PROPERTY DAMAGE
9.1 Client reports damage in writing within ____ days of the visit. Damage
that shows up when the snow melts (for example, torn turf along a
driveway edge) is reported by ____/____/______.
9.2 Contractor repairs or pays for damage caused by its own negligence.
9.3 Contractor is not responsible for damage to objects that were hidden
under snow and not marked as required by 8.1.
10. INSURANCE
Contractor carries:
General liability: $________ per occurrence
Commercial auto: $________ per occurrence
Workers' compensation: as required by law
Contractor gives Client a certificate of insurance [ ] before the season
starts [ ] when asked.
[ ] Client is named as an additional insured.
11. LIABILITY
11.1 Each party is responsible for claims caused by its own negligence.
11.2 ______________________________
(Space for any indemnity or limitation of liability clause. Write it with
a local lawyer; whether such a clause holds up depends on local law.)
12. SERVICE RECORDS
For each visit Contractor records the date and the arrival and departure
times, the snow depth, the material and amount applied, and photos. Contractor keeps
these records for ____ and shares them with Client on request.
13. ENDING THIS AGREEMENT
13.1 Either party may end this Agreement with ____ days written notice.
13.2 If a seasonal agreement ends early, Client pays for the work already
done at the per-push rates in Option A, minus any payments already made.
13.3 [ ] Other: ______________________________
14. GENERAL
This is the whole agreement between the parties. Changes must be in writing
and signed by both. This Agreement is governed by the laws of
______________________________.
SIGNATURES
Contractor: ______________________ Date: ____/____/______
Name and title: ______________________
Client: ______________________ Date: ____/____/______
Name and title: ______________________
Filling It In: Notes From the Operator Side
Trigger depth (Section 4.1)
The trigger sets how often you plow, so it moves your costs as much as your price does. A 2-inch trigger bills far more often across a winter than a 4-inch trigger at the same price. A business that needs its lot open for staff and customers may want a lower trigger than a home does. Say where the depth is measured, on the property itself, so no one argues over a weather report from across town.
Response time (4.3 and 4.4)
Work the hours out from your route, not from what the client hopes for. Say a route has 30 stops at 15 minutes each plus driving: the last stop is hours after the first. Put commercial clients that open early at the front of the route and write their hours into their contracts. Section 4.4 keeps a record snowfall from turning a target into a broken promise.
Salting (Section 5)
Name the material, because the material decides what the salt can do. On the CrewNest salt calculator's data, rock salt works down to about 15 degrees F, magnesium chloride to about -13, and calcium chloride to about -25. A salt and sand mix is mostly for grip, and works to about 20. If you spread rock salt only, the contract should not suggest it will melt ice on the coldest nights. Size each property's salt with the snow salt calculator before you set the per-application price.
Damage and obstacles (Sections 8 and 9)
Plows hit what they cannot see. The client knows where the sprinkler heads and landscape lights are; you do not, once there is a foot of snow on them. Section 8.1 makes marking them the client's job before a date you choose, and 9.3 says what happens when an unmarked object is hit. Turf damage along the drive only shows up at the spring melt, which is why 9.1 gives it a separate deadline. Walk the property with the client in the fall and photograph it; that is your record of what was there before the season.
Insurance and liability (Sections 10 and 11)
Commercial clients may ask to see a certificate of insurance and to be named as an additional insured, so the template has a line for both. The amounts are yours and your agent's to fill in. Section 11 splits responsibility by negligence and leaves one clause blank on purpose: indemnity and limits of liability are where a contract copied from the internet is most likely to fail in your state or province.
Records (Section 12)
If someone slips on a lot you service, the first question is what you did and when. Arrival and departure times, the snow depth, the material and amount spread, and a few photos answer it. Keep them for every visit, and keep them longer than the season.
Payment and ending the agreement (Sections 7 and 13)
Collect seasonal money early: an up-front payment, or installments that finish by mid-winter, means you are not chasing a balance in April. Section 13.2 stops the early-cancel problem: a client who ends a seasonal deal in January pays for the pushes already done at your per-push price, less what they have already paid.
Residential vs Commercial Snow Contracts
| Term | Residential | Commercial |
|---|---|---|
| Per push | $35 to $75 (2-car); $100 to $150 long or steep | $150 to $500, more for very large lots |
| Season | $350 to $800 | $3,000 to $20,000, more for very large lots |
| Salting, per application | $20 to $50 | $100 to $350 |
| Usual pricing clause | Per push, or seasonal with a push cap | Per inch bands, seasonal, or hourly for continuous service |
| Response time | Often "by the time you leave for work" | Set by opening hours; sometimes continuous during a storm |
| Paperwork the client asks for | Usually just the contract | Certificate of insurance, service records, sometimes a site map |
Roof snow removal ($200 to $500 a visit) and hauling ($300 to $1,500 a load) are extras on both kinds of contract; the template prices them in the extras lines of Section 6.
Common Snow Contract Mistakes
No trigger depth in writing
"We plow when it snows" means different things to you and the client. Put a number of inches in the contract, and say how you measure it.
A seasonal price with no cap
A seasonal deal with unlimited pushes means a heavy winter comes out of your margin. Cap the pushes, and price each push over the cap. The worked example above shows how much that is worth in a 16-push winter.
Salting left out of the price
Salt is a material you buy and spread, so it should be priced: $20 to $50 an application for a home and $100 to $350 for a commercial lot on the CrewNest pricing guide. If the seasonal price includes it, say so.
Promising an ice-free surface
No one can keep a surface free of ice between visits. The template says salting reduces ice and does not stop refreeze, and it asks the client to report ice between visits.
No records
If there is a claim, what you can show matters: the time you arrived and left, snow depth, what you spread and photos. Keep them for every visit, not only the ones that go wrong.
Response times you cannot meet
Promise what your route can do on a bad night, not a good one. Count the stops on the route and how long each takes before you fill in the hours.
Copying a contract from another state
Liability and indemnity clauses that work in one state or province can fail in another. That is why the template leaves that clause for a local lawyer to write.
Signing after the first storm
Clients who sign in October compare prices calmly. A client who calls after the first storm wants you there today, and the paperwork gets skipped.
Send It for Signature From CrewNest
A text file still has to be printed and signed, then scanned and filed. In CrewNest the same contract lives with the customer record:
- Create a seasonal, annual or per-visit contract for the customer, priced as a flat rate or per event.
- List the services with a price for each, and a cap on visits for a seasonal deal.
- Paste your clauses from this template into the terms.
- Email it. The customer opens a signing link, which stays valid for 90 days, and signs on their phone or computer. CrewNest records when it was signed and from what IP address.
- Download the contract as a PDF whenever you need a copy.
- Through the winter, log each storm against the contract in the snow log: snow depth, the material and pounds spread, the start and finish times, the weather, plus up to five photos. A visit logged with its arrival time and the weather can be exported as a service affidavit PDF.
Contracts are sent by email. Text delivery is not available yet (coming soon, pending carrier approval).
Snow Removal Contract FAQ
What should be included in a snow removal contract?
The parties and the property, the areas you clear and where snow is piled, the start and end dates, the trigger depth that starts a push, response times, salting terms and price, the pricing model with every number filled in, payment terms, what the client must do (mark obstacles, move cars, report ice), how damage is reported, the insurance you carry and who is liable for what, the records you keep, and how either side can end the agreement.
How much is a typical snow removal contract?
On the CrewNest snow plowing calculator, a residential seasonal contract runs $350 to $800 for the winter and a commercial seasonal contract $3,000 to $20,000. Per push, a 2-car driveway is $35 to $75, a long or steep driveway $100 to $150, and a commercial lot $150 to $500, with very large lots above that.
How do seasonal snow removal contracts work?
The client pays one price for the winter instead of paying per push. To set it, multiply your per-push price by the number of pushes you expect and compare the result with the seasonal range. For example, 12 pushes at $55 is $660. Write a cap on the number of pushes into the contract, with a price for each push over the cap, so a heavy winter does not come out of your margin.
Is per push or seasonal pricing better for a snow plowing contract?
Per push puts the weather risk on the client: they pay more in a snowy winter and less in a light one. Seasonal puts it on you, and gives the client a fixed budget. You can offer both and let the client choose. A seasonal price with a push cap sits in between.
What is a trigger depth in a snow plowing contract?
The amount of snow that starts a push, for example 2 inches. It decides how often you plow, so it affects your costs as much as your price does: a 2-inch trigger bills far more often across a winter than a 4-inch trigger at the same price.
Should salting be included in a snow removal contract?
Put it in the contract, priced. The CrewNest pricing guide lists salting at $20 to $50 per application for a home and $100 to $350 for a commercial lot. State the material, when it is applied, and whether the seasonal price includes it. Rock salt stops working below about 15 degrees F, so name the material you will switch to in hard cold.
Who is liable if someone slips after the lot was plowed?
It depends on local law, what the contract says, and what happened. The template makes each party responsible for its own negligence and leaves space for an indemnity clause that a local lawyer should write. Records of each visit (times, snow depth, material spread, photos) are what you will be asked for if there is a claim.
Is this snow removal contract template free?
Yes. Copy it, download it as a text file, or select it on the page, then edit it for your business. It is a starting point, not legal advice: have a local lawyer review it before you use it.
More Tools for the Season
- Snow plowing price calculator: per-push and seasonal prices by property type.
- Snow salt calculator: pounds of salt per property, by material and temperature.
- Snow removal pricing guide: every line item, from walkways to hauling.
- How to price snow removal jobs: setting the numbers that go in Section 6.
- Snow removal invoice template: for billing each push.