How much to charge for snow removal comes down to your cost per hour of running a truck or blower, the minutes each property takes, and a margin on top. Most residential operators sell either a per-push price (charged every time snow passes a trigger depth) or a seasonal contract (one price for the winter), and charge salting, walkways and heavy storms as extras. Build your number from your costs, then check it against what local competitors quote.
Published “average” snow removal prices vary wildly between cities and between sources, so we won’t give you a single number to copy. Instead, this guide walks through the maths with clearly labelled worked examples in Canadian dollars. Swap in your own costs and you’ll have prices you can defend.
The quick answer
| Pricing model | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Per push (per visit) | A set price each time you clear the property after snow reaches the trigger depth | New customers, unpredictable winters, small operators |
| Per event | One price per storm, however many pushes it takes | Customers who want predictable storm costs |
| Seasonal contract | One price for the whole winter, paid in instalments | Steady cash flow; your core residential route |
| Hourly | Time on site at an hourly rate, with a minimum | Commercial lots, loader work, one-off cleanups |
Many operators combine them: seasonal contracts for the regular route, per-push for overflow customers, and hourly for commercial and odd jobs.
The four ways to price snow removal
Per push
You charge every time you clear the property. Good for you in a heavy winter, good for the customer in a light one. The risk is cash flow: a dry December means no revenue while your truck payment, insurance and equipment loans still come due.
Per event
One price per snowfall event, even if a long storm needs two or three passes. Define an “event” in writing (for example, a continuous snowfall, ending when it stops for 12 hours) or you’ll argue about it in February.
Seasonal contract
A fixed price for the season, usually November to March or April. You carry the weather risk: a record winter costs you, a mild one pays you. Most seasonal operators cap it with a clause, such as a per-push charge once total snowfall passes a set amount, or an exclusion for storms above a certain depth.
Hourly
Simple and fair for large or irregular sites. Always set a minimum charge (often one hour) so a five-minute stop still covers travel.
Step 1: Find your cost per hour
Your price has to cover what it costs to have a truck and operator on the road during snow hours. Here’s a worked example for a one-truck operator. Every number is an assumption; replace them with your own.
| Seasonal cost (worked example) | Amount (CAD) |
|---|---|
| Plow blade and truck share for the season (payment, depreciation) | $6,000 |
| Commercial insurance (season share) | $2,500 |
| Fuel | $3,500 |
| Repairs, cutting edges, hydraulics | $1,500 |
| Snow blower, shovels, salt spreader | $800 |
| Phone, software, advertising | $1,200 |
| Total overhead for the season | $15,500 |
Say you expect about 300 working hours across the winter (plowing, salting and travel during storms). $15,500 ÷ 300 = about $52 an hour of overhead. Add what you pay yourself or your operator, say $30 an hour including payroll costs, and your break-even is $82 an hour. Add a 25% margin and your target billing rate is about $103 an hour.
Your season’s hours depend on how many storms you get. Use your own records from last winter if you have them. If not, be conservative: fewer hours means a higher hourly cost, which protects you in a light winter.
Our contractor hourly rate calculator and labour burden calculator do this maths for you if you hire help.
Step 2: Estimate the time per property
Price each property by how long it takes, including the drive from the previous stop. Measure the driveway (our square footage calculator helps), then note what slows you down.
- Size and shape. A single-car straight driveway is quick. A long, curved or sloped one takes several passes.
- Where the snow goes. Nowhere to pile it means hand work or hauling.
- Obstacles. Parked cars, basketball nets, garden edges and interlock you can’t gouge.
- Hand work. Front walks, steps and porches are done with a shovel or blower and add real time.
- Drive time. A tight route of neighbours is far more profitable than spread-out stops.
Step 3: Set your per-push price
Using the $103/hour target rate from step 1 (worked example):
| Property (worked example) | Time incl. drive | Cost at $103/hr | Rounded per-push price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-car driveway, no walkway | 12 min | $20.60 | $30 (minimum charge) |
| Double driveway + front walk | 20 min | $34.33 | $40 |
| Long double driveway + walk + steps | 30 min | $51.50 | $55 |
| Large lot, turnaround, hand-shovelled walks | 50 min | $85.83 | $90 |
Notice the first row. Small driveways rarely cover your cost per stop once you include setup and getting back in the truck, so set a minimum charge. Then compare your numbers with three or four local competitors’ prices. If you’re well under them, raise your prices; if you’re well over, check whether your hours or overhead assumptions are off before you cut.
Step 4: Turn it into a seasonal contract
A seasonal price is your per-push price multiplied by the number of pushes you expect, with a buffer for a heavy year.
Worked example: the double driveway with front walk is $40 per push. If your local records show around 15 plowable events in a typical winter at a 5 cm trigger, that’s $600. Add a 15% weather buffer and the seasonal price is about $690, which you might split into five monthly payments of $138 from November to March.
Use Environment and Climate Change Canada’s historical climate data for your nearest station, and your own logs, to estimate typical plowable events. A trigger depth of 5 cm (about 2 inches) means far more pushes than a 10 cm trigger.
Collect the first payment, or a deposit, before the first snow. It funds your salt and repairs and it filters out customers who were never going to pay. Our guide on how much deposit a contractor should ask for covers how to frame it.
Salting, walkways and heavy storms
| Extra | How to price it | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Salting or sanding | Per application, priced by area and material used | Material cost changes; price it so a heavy ice season doesn’t eat your margin |
| Walkways and steps | Flat add-on per visit, or included in seasonal | Hand work is slow; never throw it in for free |
| Heavy storm surcharge | A higher per-push price above a set depth (e.g. 15+ cm) | Put the depth in the contract |
| Snow hauling or relocation | Hourly, with equipment and disposal costs | Usually commercial |
| Roof snow removal | Hourly or by quote, separate service | Higher risk; check your insurance covers it |
In Canada, snow removal is generally a taxable service, so if you’re registered for GST/HST, charge it on your invoices. Once your taxable sales pass $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters, you’re required to register. This isn’t tax advice; check with the CRA or your accountant. Our HST calculator works out the tax on any price.
What to put in a snow removal contract
Most snow removal disputes come from things nobody wrote down. Cover these:
- Service area and season dates. Which surfaces (driveway, walk, steps) and from when to when.
- Trigger depth. The accumulation that starts a visit, such as 5 cm.
- Timing. When clearing happens after snowfall ends (for example, within a set number of hours), and that you’ll do your best but storms come first.
- What’s excluded. Windrows left by city plows, ice under snow, roof snow.
- Heavy storm terms. Surcharge or cap above a set depth or total snowfall.
- Payment schedule. Deposit date, instalments, late fees.
- Damage. Ask customers to mark garden edges and hidden obstacles, and say how you handle damage claims.
- Liability. Slip-and-fall claims are the big risk in this business. Talk to your insurer about coverage and to a lawyer about contract wording, especially for commercial properties.
Send it as a quote customers sign online, with the deposit collected on approval. That way you have a signed record before the first snowfall.
Running the season without chaos
Pricing is half the battle. The other half is the storm-day phone ringing nonstop while you’re in the truck, and the end-of-month scramble to bill for every push.
Send quotes with e-signature and a deposit link, so your route is booked before the first flake.
An AI receptionist answers “are you coming today?” and books new requests while you plow.
A photo and a tap per stop gives you proof of service if a customer questions a charge.
Batch invoices for every push, with automatic reminders for late payers.
Contruva does each of those steps in one app for $249.99 CAD a month: quotes with e-signatures and deposits, repeat visits on the schedule, a crew app for photos and time, the AI receptionist, and invoicing with recurring or batch billing and automatic reminders. To be straight with you: Contruva doesn’t have GPS tracking or route optimization, so if you run a large multi-truck commercial operation that depends on live truck tracking, you’ll want a snow-specific tool. For small and mid-size residential routes, it covers the work from contract to payment.
Doing landscaping the rest of the year? See our guide on starting a landscaping business in Canada, which covers adding snow as your winter line.