Who clears the snow at the end of your driveway in the GTA? It depends on your municipality
Windrow policies vary across the GTA. Some cities clear residential driveways for all residents, others offer paid or limited programs, and some leave it to homeowners.
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By Torontoer Staff
Responsibility for clearing the windrow, the mound of snow pushed up at the end of a driveway by a plow, differs across the Greater Toronto Area. Some municipalities clear driveways for all residents, others offer targeted programs for seniors or people with disabilities, and a few leave the job to homeowners.
Below is a practical guide to how major GTA municipalities handle windrow clearing, what is typically excluded, and what options exist if you cannot clear the snow yourself.
City of Toronto
Toronto provides windrow-clearing to about 262,000 households across North York, Scarborough, and Etobicoke, but the service is limited to streets where the specialty plow can operate safely.
It only includes driveways on streets where the specialty plow can operate safely, such as wide streets with limited on-street parking and no boulevard space for storage.
City of Toronto spokesperson
Residents in other parts of the city are responsible for clearing windrows themselves. The city’s program does not cover every street or every driveway.
York Region municipalities
- Markham: A Snow Windrow Removal Assistance Program is available for households where all residents are 60 or older, or where a doctor’s certificate confirms household members under 60 are physically unable to clear snow.
- Richmond Hill: Provides windrow clearing to more than 50,000 residential driveways and allows residents to opt out each year before the winter season.
- Vaughan: Windrow clearing is available to all residential driveways; the service excludes laneways, windrows left by sidewalk plows, hardened snow and ice, and does not clear entire driveways.
If you do not wish to receive the City’s snow windrow clearing service, you now have the option to opt out. Every year, before the start of the winter season, you can submit your opt-out request online.
City of Richmond Hill website
Peel Region
- Mississauga: The city provides windrow-clearing services for single, shared and double driveways. At least a three-metre space will be cleared and no registration is required. The service does not apply to condominiums, commercial properties or homes on private roads.
- Brampton: The city does not provide windrow-clearing for residential driveways.
No application or registration is required. The City will not clear windrows for condominiums, commercial properties and homes on private roads.
City of Mississauga website
Halton Region
- Oakville: Offers a paid windrow-clearing program. For the 2025–2026 season the fee is $184 plus HST.
- Milton: Provides a windrow removal program for residents 65 or older and those living with disabilities. The service fee is $69.
Durham Region
- Pickering: Homeowners are responsible for clearing windrows left at the end of driveways.
- Whitby: Offers free windrow-clearing services for seniors aged 65 and older and for individuals with disabilities.
- Ajax: Residents are generally responsible for windrows, but the town has a program to assist seniors and qualified residents.
- Oshawa: Provides snow-clearing assistance to residents 65 and older and to people with disabilities who have no community members under 65 without disabilities living in the household.
Common exclusions and limits
Across municipalities that offer windrow services, there are consistent limits on what city crews will remove. Typical exclusions include laneways, windrows created by sidewalk plows, hardened or icy snow, and properties on private roads or condominiums.
- Most programs clear a three-metre opening only, not entire driveways.
- Services usually do not remove frozen or compacted snow and ice.
- Condominiums, commercial properties and private roads are often not covered.
How to find out what applies to your home
Check your municipal website or winter services page for exact eligibility, registration deadlines and fees. If you qualify for an assistance program, you may need to register or provide proof of age or a medical certificate. Some cities let you opt out if you prefer to manage windrows yourself.
If you cannot clear a windrow, contact your local snowplow or winter services line. Municipal staff can confirm whether your address is included in a program and explain how crews handle windrows in your neighbourhood.
Municipal policies differ enough that the only reliable source is your city or town’s official winter operations page. Confirm details before winter and keep any registration or exemption deadlines in mind.
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