Road plows can leave a heavy ridge at the end of the driveway. Here is how Oakville, Burlington and Milton treat windrows—and how that differs from private seasonal snow removal.
A windrow is the dense ridge of snow left at the entrance of a driveway after a municipal road plow passes. The plow is clearing the road, and the snow rolling off the blade has to go somewhere. The resulting pile can be much heavier and more compacted than the snow that originally fell on the driveway.
The Town of Oakville offers a paid driveway-windrow program, but the Town states that the program addresses the windrow at the base of the driveway and does not clear the private driveway itself. The municipal service also operates on its own thresholds and timing after roads are plowed.
The City of Burlington operates a windrow-clearing program and publishes its own eligibility, fees and timing. This is still distinct from hiring a private contractor to maintain the driveway and other contracted areas throughout the winter.
The Town of Milton states that driveway windrows are generally the homeowner’s responsibility, with a municipal windrow-removal program available for eligible seniors and persons with disabilities. A private seasonal snow-removal agreement is separate from that municipal program.
If windrow clearing matters to you, make sure you understand whether it is part of the contracted driveway service, whether repeat municipal plow passes are treated differently, and what the agreement says about the timing and scope of service. The signed contract should answer the question—not an assumption made after the storm.
Residential customers can use Build & Price. Commercial properties can request a site-specific estimate.
