Snow Control

Rocky View County maintains all public road right-of-ways within the County, excluding provincial highways. Part of the County’s winter road maintenance program includes snow and ice control to ensure the safety of residents and travelers.

View or download the Snow & Ice Control Map (PDF)

Paved Roads

Paved roads are sanded and plowed in the following order after a snow event:

• Priority 1: Main service roads and/or roads that have the highest traffic volumes.
• Priority 2: Roads with lower traffic volumes that connect to a main service road or serve subdivisions and local residential areas.

Our service goal is to complete snow and ice control on Priority 1 roads within 36 hours of the end of a snowfall event, and Priority 2 roads within 60 hours of the end of a snowfall event.

Our service goal is an average. It may take more time to clear roads if:

• The snowfall is continuous or prolonged, requiring us to start over on Priority 1 roads.
• Snow falls at night or during peak traffic times, when equipment must travel more slowly for safety.
• Parked or abandoned vehicles are blocking roads.
• The snowfall is unusually heavy.

Other Roads

• Gravel roads are plowed when the snow pack reaches 10 cm.
• Unmaintained roads used for moving large farm vehicles or equipment are plowed by request as resources permit.

Snow Ridges

Like most municipalities, we don’t clear the snow ridges (windrows) left at the roadside and ends of driveways after a snow plow has cleared a road—landowners are responsible for this. Snow is currently only hauled away when a road safety or drainage issue exists—there is a cost to snow removal and potential issues, such as spring flooding or land contamination, can occur at storage sites.

Medical Emergency Access Routes

Residents who require access to emergency medical assistance during the winter can apply to have snow cleared from their private driveway while plows are in their area.

To qualify for this program, residents must submit:

• a letter from their physician stating the reasons for requiring medical emergency access; and
• a signed indemnity agreement (PDF).

The physician’s letter must be provided to the County on an annual basis in order to maintain active status. For liability reasons, private driveways cannot be plowed until these forms have been received.

Once the documentation is ready, contact the County by telephone or email for submission instructions.

For more information please refer to:

• Policy C-405: Snow and Ice Control (PDF)

Snow Fencing

County road crews install snow fencing in the fall months to help reduce drifting snow onto county roads.

The County is permitted under the provincial Public Highways Development Act to enter private property to install and maintain snow fencing as required.

Crews will not enter lands where obvious farming underway, for example, active pasture land with grazing livestock or fields with a crop waiting to be harvested. Every effort is made to contact affected landowners in advance of the installation.