Snow Removal

Street or General Concerns
snowstreets@cityofames.org or 515-239-5550

Sidewalks
snowwalks@cityofames.org or 515-239-5468

Ames on the Go mobile reporting application

During a city-wide ice storm, all streets may be treated with ice control materials. The use of these materials will be balanced between public safety and environmental concerns. It is important to remember that while ice control materials are a valuable and necessary tool, their use is not always the best method to control ice formation. Under certain conditions which are common in the winter using ice control materials can actually lead to additional ice formation because the pavement surface is too cold. More salt is not always the solution. A breakdown of ice control priorities is listed in the table below:

The use of these materials will be balanced between public safety and environmental concerns. It is important to remember that while ice control materials are a valuable and necessary tool, their use is not always the best method to control ice formation. Under certain conditions which are common in the winter using ice control materials can actually lead to additional ice formation because the pavement surface is too cold. More salt is not always the solution.

Snow on Sidewalks

Property owners or tenants have 10 daylight hours from the last snow accumulation in which to clear their sidewalks. If it snows again before the 10 hours expire, we will s till post notices on older snow/ice accumulation. Sidewalks need to be cleared to a four-foot wide surface down to the concrete. When a covered walk is reported, the walk is inspected and posted with a 24-hour notice to clean the walk. If it is not cleared within 24 hours, a contractor will be hired to clear the walk and the property owner will be charged the actual cost of removal plus a $50 administrative fee.

Reporting Concerns

To report a snow or ice covered sidewalk, please e-mail snowwalks@cityofames.org, leave a message on the City's dedicated Snow Walks hotline, 515-239-5468, with the address of the covered walk, or use the Ames On The Go mobile reporting app.

If you have questions about the snow removal process or wish to report street plowing concerns, including damage to a mailbox, please e-mail snowstreets@cityofames.org, call the Snow Desk at 515-239-5543 with the address/location and specific nature of the street concern, or use the Ames On The Go mobile reporting app.

The purpose of the Snow Ordinance is to allow for safe and efficient snow removal operations on designated snow routes throughout the City. These snow routes are typically traversed by CyRide buses or are collector streets feeding into the City’s arterial streets.

When the snow ordinance is put into effect, it will be posted on the City's website, on the City’s social media feeds, and on TV Channel 12 (Government Access Television) as soon as possible. Notice will also be given to local radio: KASI - 1430 AM or KCCQ -105.1 FM and local television stations channels 5, 8 and 13 to include in their scrolls. 

Another easy way to get notified is to sign up to receive e-notifications and check the box for Snow Ordinance.

During the snow removal process, please do not park on the snow routes until the snow has stopped falling and the street is plowed from curb to curb. These two details are important to remember to avoid any ticketing or towing.

When the snow ordinance goes into effect, vehicles parked on a snow route may be ticketed and/or towed immediately, without waiting for a ticket to be issued. If a vehicle is towed, contact Central Iowa Towing, 2019 East Lincoln Way, at 515-290-4188. Vehicles may also receive a parking ticket for the snow ordinance violation. Vehicles parked on streets that are not designated snow routes may also be ticketed if they have not been moved within 48 hours after a snowfall. Failure to remove cars from plowing routes leads to snow and ice that is difficult to remove and may cause a hazard for traffic.

Priorities are established in the City’s Snow and Ice Control Policy that guide the actions of the Operations Division to provide efficient snow plowing operations. Arterial Street, Snow Routes, and Priority Routes will be the primary focus for snow plowing while the snow is actively falling. Business Districts will also be a focus for plowing depending upon the timing of the storm.

If snow fall amount exceed three inches, residential streets will also be plowed. The City utilizes contract plowing services a times to assist in plowing residential streets, circles, and cul-de-sacs.

Depending upon the severity of the storm, all streets are typically plowed within 16 hours after the end of the storm. A breakdown of plowing priorities is listed in the table below:

Maps of these priorities can be found in the City of Ames Snow and Ice Control Policy(PDF, 9MB).

During an average storm, the goal is that snow plowing operations will be completed in 16 hours. Actual performance will vary greatly, depending upon factors such as actual snowfall amount vs. forecast amount, air and pavement temperatures, previous accumulations, etc… It is important to note that many of these factors are outside of the control of the City.

Signs along snow routes(PDF, 2MB) remind you to keep an eye on the sky if you park on a designated snow route. These signs are in addition to our traditional snow route reminders. We put the snow ordinance into effect when we need to plow snow and we ask drivers to remove their vehicles so we can clear the streets as completely as possible.