Seasonal Contracts vs. Per-Visit Pricing
Commercial snow removal is usually priced in one of three ways. Each one splits the risk of a heavy winter in a different way.
- Seasonal. One price for the whole winter, often split into equal payments. Easy to budget, but you pay the same in a mild year.
- Per visit or per push. You pay each time the crew comes out. Cheap in a light winter, expensive in a snowy one.
- Per centimetre or by tiers. The price changes with the depth of each snowfall. Tiers might be under 5 cm, 5 to 10 cm and over 10 cm.
Whatever the model, read what counts as one visit. A long storm may need the lot cleared two or three times before it stops.
What a Commercial Snow Removal Contract Should Cover
Put each of these in writing, with a site map that marks every area.
Areas to Clear
Parking lots, drive lanes, sidewalks, entrances, ramps, loading docks and fire routes. Anything not listed may be skipped.
Trigger Depth
The amount of snow that starts the work. Ask if the crew comes out below it for freezing rain or drifting.
Salting
When salt goes down, on which areas, and whether it is in the seasonal price or billed each time.
Snow Piles
Where the piles go, so they do not block parking, drains or sight lines at the exits.
Hauling
If there is no room left on site, how the snow is taken away and how that is charged.
Timing
When the lot and the walks must be clear, such as before your doors open.
What Changes the Cost of a Snow Removal Contract
The size of the lot and the length of the sidewalks matter most. Then come the trigger depth, how much salting the site needs and whether snow has to be hauled away.
Tight sites cost more to clear. Islands, curbs, speed bumps and parked cars slow the plow down, and hand shovelling around entrances takes time.
For typical prices, see our guide on how much snow removal costs.
Service Records and the 60-Day Notice Rule
Under Ontario’s Occupiers’ Liability Act, someone hurt by snow or ice on private property usually has 60 days to give written notice. The notice goes to the occupier or to the snow removal contractor, with the date, time and place of the fall.
When a notice arrives, you need to show what was done that day. Ask the contractor for a record of every visit, with the time and the work done. Keep it with your own notes on weather and complaints.
Ask for proof of liability insurance and WSIB coverage too, and check that the contract says who is responsible for which areas.
Seasonal Snow Removal Contracts With Outwash
We clear snow for commercial properties in Toronto, such as retail plazas, office buildings and industrial complexes. Our crews plow and clear parking lots, sidewalks and entryways, and put down salt and sand against ice.
Before the season starts, we walk the site and mark the hazards that disappear under snow, such as curbs and speed bumps. Our standard trigger is 2.5 cm, but we can set a different depth for your property.
You pay a flat rate, worked out from the size of the site, the work and the trigger depth. There are no hidden fees. We log every visit with the time, and if there’s nowhere left to put the snow, we haul it off-site.
The crews are our own trained, uniformed, in-house staff, and Outwash carries $5 million in liability insurance and WSIB coverage. See our page on commercial snow removal in Toronto.
Snow Removal Contract Questions
Can’t find your question below? Call us at 1-647-224-2064.
What is a seasonal snow removal contract?
One price covers the whole winter. Each time the snow reaches the agreed depth, the contractor clears and salts the site.
Is a seasonal contract cheaper than paying per visit?
That depends on the winter. You pay the same seasonal price in a mild year, while per-visit bills grow with every storm.
What is a trigger depth?
The amount of snow that starts the work. Ours is 2.5 cm unless you ask for a higher or lower depth.
Is salting included in the contract?
Not always. Check if salting is part of the seasonal price or billed each time it goes down.
Do you haul snow away?
We do, for sites that run out of room for snow piles.
Do you keep records of each visit?
Every visit is logged with the time, so you have a record of the work if you ever need it.
Related Services
See what else we do for commercial properties through the year.
Hiring for the first time? Read how to choose a commercial snow removal company.
Send Us a Message. We’d Love to Help.
Tell us about your property and we’ll send you a free quote. Prefer to talk? Call us at 1-647-224-2064.
Toronto, Ontario M5C 1C4