Commercial snow removal in Oshawa has a firm deadline. The City of Oshawa requires commercial property owners, such as plazas and private businesses, to completely clear every sidewalk and ramp next to their property by midnight of the day after a snow event ends. Your parking lot, entrances and walkways are yours to keep safe as well. Michael Durham Landscaping clears commercial, industrial and multi-unit properties in Oshawa on fixed-price seasonal contracts, salting after every plow visit and logging each visit.
How Our Oshawa Contracts Work
Our commercial and industrial snow removal service runs the same way on every site:
- Weather monitoring drives dispatch. We follow conditions in real time and pre-treat before major events.
- Every plow visit is followed by salt or calcium chloride.
- Every visit is logged with a timestamp, photos, conditions and salt application rates.
- The price is fixed for the season, which runs November 1 to April 15.
We walk each property before quoting. Plazas with many entrances, industrial yards with truck traffic and multi-unit buildings with visitor parking all need a different plan.
Oshawa's Rules for Commercial Property Owners
Sidewalks and ramps by midnight the next day
Oshawa's Winter Access By-law sets the standard. Commercial owners must completely clear all sidewalks and ramps abutting the property by midnight of the day following the end of the snow event. The City warns that failing to clear snow and ice can lead to a fine, plus any costs if the City has to do the work. The City's Snow Clearing Activity Report, updated three times a day during operations, shows when an event has ended, which is when the clock starts.
Snow and ice on the building
The City also requires commercial owners to clear snow or ice from their building if it could fall onto the sidewalk or road, to keep pedestrians and drivers safe while it is removed, and to use proper safety measures and warnings during removal. Our contracts cover the ground: lots, entrances, walkways and sidewalks. Snow and ice on a roof or overhang needs a contractor equipped for that work, so plan for it separately if your building sheds snow toward a walkway.
Hydrants and snow piles
Fire hydrants in Oshawa are maintained by the Region of Durham, and the City asks businesses to clear snow 2 feet (about 60 cm) around them so they stay visible from the road. Snow from your lot and sidewalks should be piled on your own property, not pushed onto the roadway.
Where the City clears instead
The City clears sidewalks in the Central Business Improvement Area downtown, sidewalks next to City-owned property, and municipal parking lots. The Region of Durham maintains all regional roads in Oshawa. The City's snow clearing service level map shows which roads, sidewalks and walkways the City is responsible for. If your property is downtown, check the map before taking the public sidewalk out of your contract.
How Oshawa Plows the City
Oshawa clears more than 500 km of primary roads, 765 km of residential roads and 160 km of sidewalks in a four-phase cycle: primary roads first, including arterial and collector roads, then residential roads, then City sidewalks, then properties in the City's snow clearing assistance program. If new snow builds up quickly, the cycle starts over.
The City can also declare a significant weather event under Ontario Regulation 239/02 during heavy snow, ice that forms without warning, blowing snow, or cold that makes de-icing ineffective. That declaration suspends the City's standard clearing timelines until it ends. Your private lot and walkways still need clearing, so a contract with weather-driven dispatch matters most in exactly those storms.
Winter Parking in Oshawa
Parking on the street is not allowed at any time during plowing and salting operations, and the City applies escalating fines. From December 1 to April 1, on-street parking is also banned from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. Properties whose staff, tenants or overnight visitors park on the street need room on site in winter, and that affects the plowing schedule for the lot.
Ontario's 60-Day Notice Rule
Under section 6.1 of Ontario's Occupiers' Liability Act, a claim for an injury caused by snow or ice cannot proceed unless written notice with the date, time and location is served personally or by registered mail within 60 days. An owner who receives one must pass a copy to its snow removal contractor, and a contractor who receives one must pass it to the owner.
Our logs, with time, photos, conditions and salt rates for every visit, give you a dated record when a notice arrives. This is general information, not legal advice. Talk to your lawyer or insurer about your own obligations.
Rules change, so confirm current requirements with the City of Oshawa before the season starts.
Common Questions
When must Oshawa businesses clear the sidewalk after a storm?
By midnight of the day after the snow event ends. The City's Winter Access By-law requires commercial owners to completely clear every sidewalk and ramp next to the property.
Does the City clear sidewalks downtown in Oshawa?
Yes, within the Central Business Improvement Area, and next to City-owned property. The City's service level map shows exactly which sidewalks it clears.
Do you remove snow from roofs in Oshawa?
No. Our commercial contracts cover parking lots, entrances, walkways and sidewalks. Oshawa requires owners to deal with snow or ice that could fall from a building, so arrange that work separately.
Is salting part of an Oshawa commercial snow contract?
Yes. Salt or calcium chloride is applied after every plow visit, and every visit is recorded in a time-stamped log.
When is overnight street parking banned in Oshawa?
From December 1 to April 1, between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., and at any time during plowing and salting operations.
Get a Commercial Snow Quote in Oshawa
Contact us for a site review and a free quote for your Oshawa property. Before you sign, our guide on how to choose a snow removal contractor lists what to compare. For grounds work in the warmer months, see landscaping in Oshawa.
Sources: City of Oshawa, Snow Clearing; City of Oshawa, Operating a Business Downtown; Ontario Regulation 239/02, Minimum Maintenance Standards for Municipal Highways; Ontario e-Laws, Occupiers' Liability Act, section 6.1.