Salting

• Main roads: are salted as soon as ice or snow forms on the roads – first round of salting completed within four hours.
• Residential roads: are salted/sanded after main roads are complete – first round of salting completed within 12 hours.
• Narrow streets (rear laneways): are salted after main roads are complete – first round of salting completed within 12 hours.

Plowing

• Main roads: are plowed as soon as five centimetres (two inches) of snow accumulates on the ground and are completed within four hours after snowfall has ended.
• Residential roads: are plowed as soon as five centimetres (two inches) of snow accumulates on the ground and are completed within 12 hours after snowfall has ended.
• Narrow streets (rear laneways): are plowed as soon as five centimetres (two inches) of snow accumulates on the ground and are completed within 16 hours after snowfall has ended.
• Courts, also called cul-de-sacs, require the use of special equipment and can take longer to clear. The centre of a court is designed for snow storage. Snow is intentionally piled in the middle of a court and is removed when there is no longer enough room around a pile for safe passage of snowplows, emergency vehicles and garbage collection.  

Sidewalks  

• Main road sidewalks: are plowed first and as soon as five centimetres (two inches) of snow accumulates on the ground, including sidewalks around York Region Transit stops (stops are cleared by York Region) and along schools and churches. These routes may be salted and plowed more than once before moving onto residential areas.
• Residential sidewalks: in addition to crosswalks, school crossings, paths and walkways within parks and private roads are cleared once sidewalks on main roads are complete. 
• For a full list of maintained sidewalks, view the sidewalk plowing map (PDF). 

Industrial areas 

• Business districts: are cleared once snow windrows reach or exceed a height of 45 centimetres (18 inches).
• Other roads: are cleared at the discretion of the City. 

Windrows

Doing your part 

• Keep cars off the street while snowplows are clearing the roads. This allows crews to safely carry out plowing operations and ensures the City can get the entire street cleared. It is also important to keep the roads clear for emergency vehicles. Did you know it’s illegal to park on the street overnight in Vaughan between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.? Read more about this parking by-law (PDF).
• Place garbage, blue boxes and green bins on the right-hand side of the driveway, where possible. Make sure to keep them about one metre (three feet) away from the curb, especially on collection days when plows may be coming.
• Remove ice and snow on the sidewalk in front of or along your property by shoveling and/or throwing down salt. This applies to you if you are a homeowner, and/or you own vacant land or industrial or institutional buildings, whether occupied or unoccupied. Read more about this by-law (PDF). If there is a fire hydrant on or near your home or business, please make sure it’s clear of snow.
• It is illegal to shovel snow or ice onto the road. Be mindful of where you are putting snow when you’re shoveling your sidewalk or driveway. Read the Ontario Highway Traffic Act – section 181 and the City’s Dumping By-law 103-2020 (PDF).
• Remove anything that may interfere with or be hazardous to plow crews. This includes landscaping features like fencing, hedges, basketball nets, decorative stones, pots, bird baths, etc. No such items should be within 30 centimetres of a sidewalk or within one metre of a street curb. Read more about this by-law (PDF).
• If there is a catch basin near your home, you are encouraged to help clear it of snow and ice, if it's safe to do so. This allows for proper drainage and helps prevent flooding.  

Regional vs. municipal roads – who is responsible for what? 

• Follow or tweet @YorkRegionGovt on Twitter using the hashtag #OnYRRoads
• Call York Region Transportation at 1-877-464-9675, ext. 75000
  

• Email York Region Transportation at transportation@york.ca