Preparing Your Property for Snow Removal Before the First Storm

Before the first storm, walk your driveway and the routes you use on foot. Snow can hide an edge, a drain, or a low obstacle that is obvious today. A few photos and an agreed site plan give your snow-removal provider information that a street address alone cannot supply.

Prestige Lawn Care offers snow removal for Wichita-area homes and businesses. Use this guide to prepare for the property review, then confirm the covered surfaces, availability, and service terms for your address.

Mark obstacles while the ground is visible

Photograph pavement edges, curbs, parking stops, drains, uneven concrete, and existing damage. Point out low landscape lighting, sprinkler heads beside pavement, and bed edging that could disappear under snow. Include gravel or loose surfaces in your notes.

Ask your provider where markers belong and who will install and maintain them. Keep markers out of walking paths and equipment push areas. The Snow & Ice Management Association’s staking guidance explains how visible boundaries and hazard markers support snow operations. Photos or a marked map provide a backup if a marker goes missing.

Agree on where the snow will go

A pile at the end of your driveway can obstruct the view as you pull out. A pile beside a busy entrance can interfere with foot traffic. Discuss storage locations before anyone starts clearing.

Identify places that keep walks, doors, accessible routes, hydrants, and drains open. Point out planting beds and other features to protect. Trace where melting snow could run, especially near sloped or shaded walks where water may refreeze.

If parking is limited, agree on whether any spaces can be used for snow storage and how residents or tenants will be told. Ask what happens when the designated area fills up. SIMA’s site-planning guidance emphasizes agreeing on snow-storage and parking arrangements before snowfall.

Name the routes you need to use

Identify a continuous route from parking to the door you actually use. At home, that may include your front walk and steps as well as the driveway. At a business, flag accessible parking connections, ramps, entrances, exits, and delivery access. Share opening hours or other access needs when discussing priorities; confirm the agreed scope and timing expectations in writing.

In Wichita, the city handles designated street routes and states that the adjoining owner or occupant is responsible for the sidewalk along the street. Review the city’s snow-removal information and make sure your public sidewalk has an assigned responsibility. For an address in Andover, Derby, or another service-area community, check that municipality’s guidance separately.

Confirm the plan before the forecast becomes urgent

Agree on what starts service, which surfaces are included, how changing access is communicated, and who handles excluded areas. Ask how additional work is requested. A preferred opening or departure time should be discussed rather than assumed to be a guaranteed arrival time.

SIMA’s snow-service planning standard supports a written scope and preseason site inspection. Once your plan is settled, tell your provider if parked vehicles, construction, or changed entrances affect it.

Snow preparation questions

What should I mark before snow removal?

Identify pavement edges, curbs, parking stops, drains, low landscape features, and existing surface damage. Agree with your provider on marker placement and who installs and maintains the markers. Keep photos or a marked map as a backup.

Where should removed snow go?

Agree on a storage area before service begins. Keep entrances, walkways, accessible routes, hydrants, drains, and driver sight lines clear. Discuss how the site will function if the designated space fills up.

Does a driveway snow-removal plan include sidewalks and steps?

Confirm each surface in the written scope. Identify the driveway, public sidewalk, front walk, steps, and other entrances separately, and agree on who handles any areas outside the service plan.