What a Commercial Snow Removal Contract Should Include

We've written and worked under snow contracts in Somerville, Medford, Cambridge and Boston since 1989, including five winters at the Medford Public Library and large condominium associations. This is the checklist we'd want a board to use on us — or on anyone else bidding their property.

1. A site map, not a sentence

"Plow lot and clear walks" is how disputes start. The scope should be a marked-up site plan or aerial photo showing every surface: lots, drive aisles, fire lanes, walkways, stairs, ramps, entries, rear egress, dumpster pads, mailboxes, hydrants and the public sidewalk. It should also mark where snow piles go — and where they must never go (accessible spaces, drains, sight lines at the exit).

2. Trigger depths and completion times

• Plowing trigger — commonly 2 inches for lots and drives.
• Walks, stairs and entries — lower trigger or any accumulation. This is where people fall.
• Completion target — e.g., lot open by 7 a.m. for overnight snow; walks maintained during the day for storms that run into business hours.
• Long-duration storms — how often the crew returns during an event, not just after it.

3. Ice management, spelled out

Most liability isn't the snow — it's the ice afterward. The contract should state whether the vendor pre-treats before forecast storms, what material goes where (rock salt on asphalt, a calcium blend on concrete, brick and granite steps), whether refreeze checks the morning after are included, and whether ice events with no snow (freezing rain, meltwater refreezing overnight) trigger a visit automatically or only on request.

4. Who owns the public sidewalk

Boston, Somerville and Cambridge each put sidewalk clearing on the abutting property owner, with deadlines and per-day fines:

• Boston — within 3 hours after snow stops (3 hours after sunrise for overnight snow), 42-inch path.
• Somerville — within six daylight hours after snow stops, 36-inch path. More on Somerville.
• Cambridge — within 12 hours of daytime snow or by 1 p.m. after overnight snow, ice within 6 hours, 3-foot path. More on Cambridge.

If the public sidewalk is in the contract, say so and say it's done inside the city's window. If it isn't, the board needs to know who's doing it.

5. Pricing model — and what's inside the price

• Seasonal — one fixed price for the winter, usually billed monthly November–April. Best for budgets. Ask whether there's a cap (a storm count or total snowfall) above which per-event pricing kicks in.
• Per-push / per-event — pay per visit. Cheaper in a light winter, painful in a heavy one, and it rewards extra visits.
• Per-inch tiers — price steps by storm size (2–6", 6–12", 12"+). Fair, but harder to budget.

Then check what's included: salt and ice melt (included or per application?), hauling when piles run out of room (included or per truckload?), and return visits during long storms. For reference, seasonal contracts for condo associations and small commercial properties around Somerville, Medford and Cambridge generally run $2,000–$10,000 a winter. How we price ours.

6. Records after every storm

Massachusetts courts have held that property owners owe lawful visitors reasonable care in clearing snow and ice — the old "natural accumulation" defense is gone (Papadopoulos v. Target Corp., 2010). So when a resident or visitor falls, the first thing your insurer asks is what was done and when. The contract should require a log for every event: arrival and departure time, areas cleared, material and quantity applied by location, and photos — delivered after the storm without you having to ask.

7. Insurance and indemnification

Ask for a current certificate of insurance before signing, and read it rather than filing it:

• Commercial general liability that covers snow and ice operations — some policies exclude them
• Limits that meet your management agreement or master policy (many property managers require $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate)
• Commercial auto for the plow trucks, and workers' compensation for the crew
• Your association or management company as certificate holder, and additional insured if your contract requires it
• A mutual indemnification clause that's reasonable for both sides — have your attorney or manager review it

8. Damage, staking and the spring walk-through

Plows hit curbs, lawn edges and the occasional bollard. A good contract says obstacles get staked before the ground freezes, damage gets reported within a set time, and turf and curb repair is handled in a spring walk-through rather than argued about.

9. Term, renewal and getting out

Look for a clear season (e.g., November 15 – April 15), the renewal date and how pricing changes at renewal, and a termination clause for non-performance with written notice. Every vendor should be willing to sign a contract that lets you leave if they don't show up.

Red flags

• No site walk before the price
• "Salt as needed" with no definition of who decides or what it costs
• No mention of the public sidewalk
• No service logs, or logs only "on request"
• A certificate of insurance that arrives after the contract is signed — or never
• A route that's too big: ask how many properties the crew covers and how far apart they are