Snow Emergency

Snow Removal

A snow emergency shall exist within the City when two or more inches of snow has occurred, or whenever the Public Works Director or his designee declares that a snow emergency exists. The Director or his designee may declare a snow emergency at a time prior to an accumulation of two inches of snow if, in his judgment, the weather conditions are such than an early declaration of a snow emergency would promote the effective implementation of the City's snow removal plan. After a snow emergency comes into existence or is declared, it shall continue until such time as the Public Works Director or his designee declares its termination.

No Parking

When a snow emergency exists, it shall be unlawful for any vehicle to be parked on any public street or parking lot in the City. Any vehicle in violation of this provision will be ticketed and towed away by or at the direction of the City. The owner of the vehicle, as well as the person who caused said vehicle to stop, stand or park, shall be individually liable for all expenses incurred as a result of towing said vehicle away. Your cooperation by parking off of the street during any snowfall, even when less than two inches, will make the task of clearing the streets more efficient and safer.

When clearing your own driveway or parking lot, please do not push or blow snow into the street, across the street, or onto any other property. Pushing snow into the street can leave windrows in the street that result in traffic hazards, add to icing problems, and also cause problems for your neighbor across the street. Each year, the City receives several complaints from property owners about neighbors cleaning a driveway and pushing snow across the street onto their property on the opposite side. Please respect your neighbor and also help to keep our streets safer by avoiding this problem.

Snow Removal Special Requests

The Department of Public Works maintains approximately 40 center line miles of streets and several public parking lots for snow removal. In order for this work to be completed in a timely manner, it is necessary for each truck to follow a specific pre-planned route. It is not possible for the City to accept and complete snow removal on a specific street on a request basis. The Department of Public Works does remain in direct communication with both the Harvard Police Department and Harvard Fire Protection District during snow events. If the assistance of a snow plow is needed to respond to an emergency location, the truck will be dispatched by those emergency departments.