Should landscapers add snow removal?

The winter problem snow removal solves

Some grounds maintenance work is seasonal, available mainly in spring, summer and autumn^[2], and the payroll numbers show it. US landscaping services paid only 19.3% of their 2023 annual payroll in the first quarter, against 25.9% across all industries^[3]. Employment follows the same curve, from 756,000 in January 2025 to 1,014,200 in July 2025^[1].

For an owner, that curve means laying people off in November and hoping they come back in March. Many do not. Snow removal is the most common answer in northern markets because it uses trucks, drivers and customer relationships you already have. The question is whether it pays once equipment, insurance and liability are counted.

Three pricing models compared

A sensible mix for a first season is per-push residential work plus a few seasonal commercial contracts with an event cap and an overage rate. That way a light winter does not leave you with no revenue, and a heavy one does not leave you plowing for free.

Decision criteria

• Snowfall: look up your local average snowfall and the number of days with measurable snow over the last ten winters from your local weather office. Averages hide wide swings, so look at the worst and lightest years too.
• Customers: how many existing maintenance customers have asked about snow, and do you have any commercial accounts that need it?
• Equipment: plows and spreaders for your trucks, walk-behind blowers, shovels, and covered storage for salt.
• Staff: who will work overnight on call, and will your summer crew members want winter hours?
• Insurance: can you get snow and ice coverage at a cost the work can carry? Some insurers price it separately or decline it.
• Cash: equipment is bought in autumn and income depends on weather. Can you carry that gap?

Slip-and-fall liability is the real cost

Fatal falls, slips and trips at work fell 4.6% to 844 in 2024^[4], a reminder of how many falls happen even on the job. On a commercial lot, a customer or visitor who slips on ice can claim against the property owner, who often turns to the snow contractor. What protects you is the contract and your records.

1. 01

   Define the trigger

   State the depth at which service starts, for example a stated number of inches, and whether you monitor or wait for a call.

2. 02

   Separate plowing from de-icing

   Salt and ice melt are a separate line, applied on a defined trigger or on request. Never imply that the site will be ice-free.

3. 03

   Limit the scope in writing

   List which areas you clear, such as lots, drives and walks, and which you do not, such as roofs, stairs or loading docks.

4. 04

   Address refreeze

   State that ice can form after service from melt and refreeze, and how the customer requests a return visit.

5. 05

   Keep service records

   Log arrival and departure times, conditions, what was done and photos, ideally with GPS from the truck or a phone app.

6. 06

   Read indemnity clauses

   Commercial clients may send their own contract that shifts all liability to you. Have it reviewed before you sign, and push back on one-sided terms.

Equipment and staffing

Start with what your trucks can safely carry. A plow on a truck that is not rated for it wears out the transmission and suspension in a season. Most landscapers begin with residential driveways and walks using one or two plow trucks and walk-behind blowers, and add a skid steer or loader only when commercial lots justify it.

• Plow trucks with mounts rated for the plow weight, plus spare cutting edges and hydraulic hoses.
• Tailgate or hopper spreaders, and covered, dry salt storage.
• Walk-behind snow blowers and shovels for walks and steps.
• Lighting, radios or phones, and a backup truck plan if one breaks down mid-storm.
• A storm-day staffing plan: who is on call, how they are reached, and rest rules for long shifts.

Pay matters too. The median hourly pay for US grounds maintenance workers was $19.27 in May 2025^[5]; overnight snow shifts usually need premium pay or a retainer to make sure people answer the call at 3 a.m.

Run a light-winter test before you buy

The mistake that sinks first-year snow businesses is costing the season on an average winter. Cost it on a light one instead. Add up the fixed costs that arrive whether it snows or not: plow and spreader payments, insurance, salt you have to pre-buy, retainers for on-call staff and storage. Then ask how much of that the seasonal contracts alone would cover if the per-push residential work barely happened.

1. List fixed winter costs, including equipment finance, insurance premiums, retainers and storage.
2. Total the guaranteed revenue from seasonal contracts and any monthly retainers.
3. Subtract one from the other. That gap is what per-push and per-event work must earn before you profit.
4. Look at the lightest winter in the last ten years for your area and estimate how many pushes it would have produced.
5. If the light-winter number does not close the gap, sign more seasonal work, cut equipment, or wait a year.

Storm-day communication

Customers judge snow contractors on communication as much as plowing. During a storm, the phones ring with the same three questions: when are you coming, did you skip me, and can you come back. Prepare for them in advance.

• Publish your route order rules, such as commercial lots first and residential driveways by route, so customers know what to expect.
• Send a short message when a storm is forecast and again when crews are out.
• Give the office or answering service a script for return-visit requests and refreeze calls, and log every request with a time.
• After the storm, review missed or late stops and call those customers before they call you.

Example: a 10-person landscaping company tests snow

Example (fictional): a landscaping company in a northern suburb has eight seasonal crew members and two year-round managers. It loses three good crew members to other jobs every winter. The owner prices plows for two existing trucks, two walk-behind blowers and a salt shed, and gets a snow and ice liability quote from the broker.

Example: for the first season, the company takes 60 residential driveways on a per-push basis and two small commercial lots on seasonal contracts with an event cap and an overage rate. Four crew members agree to an on-call retainer. The winter turns out light, so the residential work earns little, but the seasonal lots cover the equipment payments and all four crew members return in spring. The owner keeps the model for a second season with more seasonal commercial lots.

Scripts for the snow conversation

• Residential: we plow when snow reaches the agreed depth, usually starting before 7 a.m. Each visit is billed separately. Salting your walk is an add-on you can choose for each storm.
• Commercial: we can offer a seasonal price with a set number of events included and a per-event rate after that. Our contract lists the areas we clear and the trigger depth, and we keep time-stamped records of every visit.
• When a customer asks for a guarantee: we clear to the agreed standard each visit. Ice can form after we leave, so the contract explains how to request a return visit.

When to say no

• Your trucks are not rated for plows.
• You cannot get snow and ice liability cover.
• The client wants a seasonal price with unlimited events and full indemnity.
• You would need to promise response times you cannot meet in a big storm.
• Your best people do not want winter work.

If snow does not fit, other off-season options include holiday light installation, and some summer add-ons, such as mosquito and tick service, can raise revenue per customer enough to make a winter layoff easier to manage.