Winter Weather Operations - Salting and Snow Removal

TO CHECK FOR CURRENT SNOW OPERATIONS, CLICK HERE.

When it snows, 200 employees with 175 pieces of equipment spring into action. Here's a snapshot of the County's snow response plan:

• When snow begins to cover roads, salt crews spread salt on all main County roads and emergency routes.
• When snow accumulates to three inches, plowing and salting crews continue to clear all main County roads and emergency routes.
• Once the snow stops, crews begin plowing neighborhood roads.
• Crews complete plow routes and spread abrasives on hills, at intersections and on roads around schools.

Check below for answers to your snow plowing questions.

Frequently Asked Questions About Snow Plowing

Who plows Montgomery County streets? If the County doesn’t plow my street, how do I find out who does? Who clears State highways, such as I-270? Who else clears roads and parking lots? How soon does the County start plowing? What happens if there are less than 3 inches of snow on the streets? What happens if there is 3 or more inches of snow on the roads? What happens when the snowfall ends? Will the snow plow ever completely clear my residential street down to bare pavement? How long will it take to finish plowing all the streets? How do I check the status of County snow removal efforts? How do I report that the snow plows missed my street? What is a snow emergency route? If a snow emergency is declared, what restrictions are implemented? What is a major County road? What is a primary neighborhood street? What is a neighborhood street? What resources does the County have to remove snow? What do I contact in an emergency? What if I need help, but it’s not an emergency? I have a four-wheel drive vehicle – how do I volunteer to help those who may need assistance? What else can volunteers do? Who clears sidewalks of snow? What if I need help clearing my sidewalk? How can I report uncleared sidewalks? A snow plow damaged my mailbox. What should I do? What can I do about snow plows that block my driveway with snow?

Who plows Montgomery County streets? — Top The County clears 2,400 miles of County-maintained streets. Check here to see if your street is one. If the County doesn’t plow my street, how do I find out who does? — Top Municipalities, such as Rockville, Gaithersburg, Takoma Park, or the smaller jurisdictions in the County, clear their own streets. See our "Who Clears Snow" page for more information. Who clears State highways, such as I-270? — Top The Maryland State Highway Administration clears all numbered routes such as Georgia Avenue (Maryland Route 97) in the County. Check the State website at www.sha.state.md.us for information they may provide about snow removal on State roads. Who else clears roads and parking lots? — Top Montgomery County Public Schools, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Metro, homeowners associations, commercial property owners, and others clear snow from their properties. How soon does the County start plowing? — Top During the snowstorm, no plowing begins until there are 3 inches of snow on the streets.  To view a chart detailing the County's snow response plan see our "Winter Weather Operations Response Plan" page.  What happens if there are less than 3 inches of snow on the streets? — Top Bridges and elevated roadways are spot salted. Major County Roads and Primary Neighborhood Streets are salted. What happens if there is 3 or more inches of snow on the roads? — Top All major County roads and primary neighborhood streets get plowed, salted, and cleared while it’s snowing. What happens when the snowfall ends? — Top • Plow all major County roads and primary neighborhood streets and clear to bare pavement. • Plow all Residential Streets with at least one pass and spot sand when necessary. • Spread abrasives on hills, intersections on residential streets, and on roads around schools. Will the snow plow ever completely clear my residential street down to bare pavement? — Top The goal is to make residential streets passable -- not to clear them to bare pavement. Plowing to bare pavement requires salting at the beginning of the snowfall. Resource and environmental constraints prevent our doing this on every residential street. How long will it take to finish plowing all the streets? — Top Crews work continuously around the clock until all 2,400 miles of County-maintained streets are passable. Here’s a guideline, but remember that the type of snow (wet or powdery) or changing weather conditions may alter it: • It takes about 16 hours following the end of a 3-inch snowfall to plow and/or treat every County road once • Within 24 to 36 hours after a 10-inch snowfall, you can expect major and primary County roads to be cleared and one plowing pass made through neighborhood streets. • After a 15-inch snowfall, our crews should complete snow plowing in about 35 to 40 hours. • After a 24-inch snowfall, our crews should complete the work in about 48 to 60 hours. How do I check the status of County snow removal efforts? — Top Pease check the Highway Maintenance Winter Storm Operation tracking page for the latest news. You can also call Highway Maintenance at 240-777-6000. How do I report that the snow plows missed my street? — Top Click here to fill in an online form. What is a snow emergency route? — Top Prominent red and white signs designate certain roads as snow emergency routes that are kept clear throughout storms for police, fire, and other emergency vehicles. Both the State of Maryland and Montgomery County have snow emergency routes and, by listening to news broadcasts, you can find out when a snow emergency plan has been declared. Note that the State and County do not always declare snow emergencies at the same time. If a snow emergency is declared, what restrictions are implemented? — Top When the State or County designates a snow emergency, it’s illegal on snow emergency routes to drive without snow tires, mud/snow radials or chains or park on these roads. What is a major County road? — Top Major arterial roads connecting subdivisions or business districts, such as Democracy Boulevard or Shady Grove Road. What is a primary neighborhood street? — Top Main collector streets through subdivisions, such as Lamberton Drive, Dufief Drive, and Flower Hill Way. What is a neighborhood street? — Top All other side streets. What resources does the County have to remove snow? — Top The County calls on 200 employees, 195 pieces of snow removal equipment, and 35,500 tons of salt and sand during snow removal operations. What do I contact in an emergency? — Top Call the Police and Fire Departments at 911 only in life threatening emergencies or for emergency Fire and Rescue services. The Police and Fire Departments will contact the Highway Maintenance Section if an emergency vehicle needs assistance to maneuver on a snow or ice‑covered street. What if I need help, but it’s not an emergency? — Top The Police non-emergency number is 301-279-8000. For other assistance, call the County’s Volunteer Center at 240-777-2600. I have a four-wheel drive vehicle – how do I volunteer to help those who may need assistance? — Top Call the County’s Volunteer Center at 240-777-2600. What else can volunteers do? — Top Offer to assist disabled residents in your neighborhood with sidewalk snow shoveling. Or, call the County’s Volunteer Center at 240-777-2600. Who clears sidewalks of snow? — Top Property owners are responsible for clearing their public sidewalks, driveways and entrances within 24 hours of the end of a snowstorm. All residents are strongly encouraged to be good neighbors by clearing the sidewalks in front of their homes, as well as assisting those who may not be physically able to do so. What if I need help clearing my sidewalk? — Top Snow shoveling services are offered for a fee by Casa de Maryland, a non-profit organization. Call 301-431-4177 or 301-431-4185 to request assistance. How can I report uncleared sidewalks? — Top Use the County’s online form to report a sidewalk that remains unshoveled more than 24 hours after the end of the last snowfall. A snow plow damaged my mailbox. What should I do? — Top The County will install a standard post and mailbox at your residence as soon as we have finished all snow plowing. Call us at 240-777-7623 or go to Snow Assistance to file a report. If you have a non-standard mailbox, call the County’s Risk Management Division at 240-777-8920. In the meantime, we will install a temporary mailbox. What can I do about snow plows that block my driveway with snow? — Top We recommend parking your car in the driveway, if you have one. We can do a much better job clearing your street of snow without maneuvering around parked vehicles. Unfortunately, there’s little our plow operators can do to keep snow away from your driveway entrance or parked cars