Looking for commercial snow removal in Bowmanville? Clarington gives property owners 24 hours after a snowfall ends to clear the public sidewalk along their frontage, and the parking lot, loading area and entrances are the owner's to manage too. Michael Durham Landscaping looks after plazas, industrial units and multi-unit buildings in Bowmanville on fixed-price seasonal agreements, with salt down after each plow pass and a written record of every visit.
What Our Bowmanville Contracts Include
Our commercial and industrial snow removal agreements are built around four commitments:
- Dispatch based on the forecast. We track the weather in real time and pre-treat surfaces ahead of major storms.
- Salting on every visit. Once a lot has been plowed, it gets salt or calcium chloride before we leave.
- A log you can hand to your insurer. Each visit is time-stamped and recorded with photos, site conditions and the salt application rate used.
- One price for the season. Agreements cover November 1 to April 15, and we sign them in September and October so the site is set before the first snowfall.
Before we quote, we walk the property. A downtown storefront, an industrial unit with a shared truck court and a rental building with tenant parking each need their own plan for where snow goes and which doors open first.
Clarington Rules That Apply to Bowmanville Businesses
Sidewalks within 24 hours, full width
Clarington's snow clearing by-law gives owners 24 hours after the end of a snowfall to clear snow and ice from the sidewalks bordering their property. The Municipality's sidewalk snow removal page adds the details: sidewalks must be cleared to their full width, including between snowfalls and when snow drifts, and the "corner links" where a corner sidewalk meets the crossing must be cleared as well. Spreading safety salt or sand on ice and slippery spots is also the owner's job.
What happens if the walk is not done
Clarington accepts sidewalk complaints after at least 24 hours of clear weather. A Municipal contractor then visits every property named in the complaint, photographs the sidewalk before and after, clears it and leaves a yellow door hanger. The Municipality bills the owner afterward, with a penalty added; the amount is set out on the sidewalk snow removal page. Disputes go to By-Law Services.
The arterial sidewalk program does not replace your duty
Since the 2023 to 2024 winter, Clarington crews plow and salt sidewalks on selected arterial routes in downtown and high-traffic areas, plus pedestrian crossovers and school crossings. The Municipality states plainly that owners are still responsible for keeping those sidewalks free of snow and ice, and that its program is not a replacement for owner clearing and salting. If your storefront faces a mapped route, keep the frontage in your contract.
Keep plowed snow off the road
Clarington's winter road maintenance page lists its year-round vehicle by-law rules, including that snow must not be pushed, plowed or blown onto the road. On a tight Bowmanville lot, that means planning snow storage on site from the first visit.
How Clarington Plows and Winter Parking
Clarington crews plow and sand or salt 892 kilometres of Municipal roads. The snow clearing and winter maintenance page explains the order: main roads and emergency routes first, then residential neighbourhoods and side streets, with crews returning to main routes while snow is still falling. A GPS snowplow map shows where plows have been over the last 24 hours, updated every five minutes.
Several Bowmanville arteries are Regional roads, not Municipal ones. Durham's regional roads list includes Liberty Street (Regional Road 14), Bowmanville Avenue (Regional Road 57) and Regional Highway 2 west of Bowmanville Avenue. Durham patrols its roads seven days a week in winter, sprays salt brine ahead of storms, and can declare a Significant Weather Event that affects normal maintenance, as described on its regional road maintenance page. Whoever plows the road, the owner still clears the sidewalk and the lot.
On parking, Clarington bans street parking from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. all year and at any hour during a snow event, and vehicles that interfere with plowing can be ticketed and towed. Its parking page adds that temporary parking passes are not valid during snow clearing and that commercial vehicles cannot get parking considerations. If tenants or staff rely on the street overnight, your lot has to hold them during a storm, and that shapes when we plow.
Fleet owners should also note Clarington's weight restrictions: when in effect, usually from early March to the end of April, loads on Municipal roads are limited to five tonnes per axle, and the Region sets its own restrictions on Regional roads.
Ontario's 60-Day Snow and Ice Notice
Section 6.1 of Ontario's Occupiers' Liability Act bars most lawsuits for injuries caused by snow or ice unless written notice, stating the date, time and location, reaches the occupier or its snow contractor within 60 days. The notice must be served personally or sent by registered mail. If you receive one, you must pass a copy to your snow contractor the same way, and a contractor who receives one must pass it to you.
Our visit logs give you a dated record to check against the date in a notice. This is general information, not legal advice; speak with your lawyer or insurer about your own situation.
By-laws and programs change, so confirm current requirements with the Municipality of Clarington before winter.
Common Questions
How long do Bowmanville businesses have to clear the sidewalk?
Clarington gives owners 24 hours after a snowfall ends, cleared to full width, corner links included.
My Bowmanville storefront is on a route the Municipality clears. Am I covered?
No. Clarington says its arterial sidewalk program does not replace the owner's duty to clear and salt.
What is a yellow door hanger from Clarington?
It means a Municipal contractor cleared your sidewalk after a complaint. An invoice from the Municipality follows.
Can our plow contractor push snow into the street in Bowmanville?
No. Clarington's vehicle by-law prohibits pushing, plowing or blowing snow onto the road, so snow has to stay on your property.
Is salt included in a Bowmanville commercial contract?
Yes. Salt or calcium chloride goes down after every plow visit, and the rate used is recorded in the visit log.
Book a Bowmanville Site Review
Contact us to book a site review and a free quote for your Bowmanville property before the season fills up. For what to ask any contractor, read how to choose a snow removal contractor in Durham Region, and for larger yards see industrial snow removal. For warm-season grounds work, visit landscaping in Bowmanville.
Sources: Municipality of Clarington, Sidewalk Snow Removal; Municipality of Clarington, Snow Clearing By-law 93-144; Municipality of Clarington, Snow Clearing and Winter Maintenance; Municipality of Clarington, Winter Road Maintenance; Municipality of Clarington, Parking; Municipality of Clarington, Weight Restrictions; Region of Durham, Regional Roads List; Region of Durham, Regional Road Maintenance; Ontario e-Laws, Occupiers' Liability Act, section 6.1.