As the first few flakes of the season begin to fly, the City of Plymouth reminds residents of its snow removal policy and encourages them to sign up for snow emergency alert emails.

• Snow plowing threshold – A snowfall of 2 inches or more triggers a snow emergency. For snowfalls of less than 2 inches, the city treats and plows main roadways.
• Service time – While each snow event is unique, the goal is to have streets and cul-de-sacs cleared within nine hours after snow quits falling, based on an average snowfall.
• Live Plow Map – Introduced last year, the Live Plymouth Plow Map utilizes GPS signals that display which areas of the city have been cleared, and allows residents to track progress made by snowplow crews.

Follow Parking Regulations

Parking is prohibited on all streets after a 2-inch snowfall until the street has been plowed curb-to-curb. Violators may be ticketed and towed. Plymouth also has a year-round ordinance that prohibits parking on city streets from 2-5 a.m.

Shovel Smart

Use these tips when clearing snow around your property:

• Do not shovel, plow or blow snow into the street.
• Keep mailboxes clear to ensure postal delivery.
• Place refuse and recycling containers a few feet back in the driveway to prevent waste from being scattered.
• Help clear snow and ice around fire hydrants and storm drains – learn more at the Adopt a Spot webpage.

Use Salt Responsibly

High levels of salt can contaminate water bodies, and become toxic to fish, amphibians and aquatic plants. The city continues to explore ways to improve winter maintenance operations and reduce the impacts of chloride.

Residents can contribute to the effort with these tips:

• Remove snow early and often.
• Salt only works at temperatures above 15 degrees. To melt snow and ice at colder temperatures, use calcium chloride or magnesium chloride.
• As a rule of thumb, use no more than 1 pound of salt per 250 square feet (a 12-ounce mug is about 1 pound of salt and an average parking space is about 150 square feet).
• If salt or sand is visible on dry pavement, it’s not effective and will likely become runoff. Sweep up the extra and reuse it during the next snowstorm.

For more information regarding Plymouth’s snow plowing policies and procedures, visit plymouthmn.gov/snow.