Snow Removal Policy & Procedures

Snow Season


It's snow season! 

Purpose

The City's snow removal policy was created to establish an order of priority for removal of snow from public streets and parking lots. The priority list is as follows:

  • State Trunklines
  • Major City Streets
  • City Maintained Sidewalks and Local City Streets
  • City Owned Parking Lots
  • City Alleys

Objective

The objective of the City's standard operating procedures for snow removal is to establish an efficient and cost-effective protocol for winter maintenance of public streets, city maintained sidewalks and parking lots.

For snow events less than three (3) inches:

  •  State Trunklines and Major Streets will be cleared after normal business hours if road conditions warrant.
  • Local Streets will be cleared within twenty four (24) hours or the next business day.

For snow events greater than three (3) inches:

  •  State Trunklines, Major Streets, and Local Streets will be cleared after normal business hours.

For all snow events:

  • Snow and ice will be removed from City maintained sidewalks within twenty – four (24) hours after the end of a snow event.  If necessary a crew will be called in after snow event ends and State Trunklines and Major Streets are cleared to begin snow removal on City maintained sidewalks.  Sidewalk snow removal will be completed during the same time as Local Street clearing.

Procedure

During snow emergencies, the City of Ypsilanti is divided into three overlapping areas which each contain a section of trunkline as well as major and local streets:
  • Washtenaw 1 and Upper 2
  • Michigan Avenue and Ecorse 3 and 4
  • Hamilton and Huron 5 and Lower 2

Driveways and Sidewalk Ramps

To minimize the possibility that City plows might plow shoveled snow back into your driveway or curb cut, please shovel/pile the snow to the right side of your drive or curbcut as you face the road, and clear a pocket of snow on the opposite (left) side.  Much of the accumulated snow on the plow will dump into the pocket and not in the driveway or curb cut.
Intersection of a road and a driveway; snow piled to the right of the drive and cleared left of it