How much does snow removal cost in Ontario? (2026)

Snow removal is sold two ways: per visit, when you call after a storm, or as a seasonal contract, where a crew clears every snowfall above a set depth for one price. Which is cheaper depends on how many plowable snowfalls the winter brings, how big your driveway is, and how much you value not being the one outside at 6 a.m. Prices checked September 2026.

What does snow removal cost in the GTA?

The ranges below come from Toronto and GTA contractors’ published 2025–2026 price guides and from listings for the coming season. They are wide because the job is: a single-car driveway in Aurora and a four-car driveway on a corner lot in Richmond Hill are different amounts of snow.

How much is snow removal on Doyo?

Doyo sells snow removal by the visit: $88.50, the full price with Doyo’s service fee included — nothing is added at checkout. A visit covers the driveway, walkway and steps, salt or sand put down, and the pro brings the equipment. Tell the Doyo agent your driveway size when you book, so the pro knows what to expect before they arrive.

Doyo does not sell seasonal contracts today. If you want one crew on call all winter, a contract from a local company is the right tool; if you would rather pay only for the storms that actually need clearing, booking by the visit keeps you out of a five-month commitment.

Is a seasonal snow removal contract worth it?

Divide the contract price by the price of one visit. A $700 contract costs the same as eight visits at $88.50 — about $708. If the winter brings more than eight snowfalls deep enough to need clearing, the contract wins; if it brings fewer, per visit wins. Southern Ontario winters swing a lot from year to year, so a contract is partly insurance against a heavy one.

• A contract suits you if you leave early for work, travel in winter, or cannot shovel safely — the crew comes without being asked.
• Per visit suits you if you are home, have a short driveway, and are happy to clear light snow yourself and call someone for the big storms.
• Snowblower owners usually only need help with the heavy, wet storms and the windrow the plow leaves at the curb.

What should a snow removal contract say?

Most disputes come from things the contract never said. Before you sign, make sure it answers these in writing:

1. The trigger depth: how many centimetres before the crew comes out. Two to five centimetres is common; a lower trigger means more visits.
2. The season’s dates, usually November 1 or 15 to April 1 or 15, and what happens to a March storm after the end date.
3. What is cleared: driveway only, or walkway, steps, the city sidewalk and the windrow at the curb.
4. Whether salt is included, how often, and which product if you have pets or new interlock.
5. A time window: for example, cleared within a set number of hours after snow stops, and whether they return to clear the windrow after the city plow passes.
6. Who pays for damage to lawn edges, interlock, garage doors or cars, and whether the company carries liability insurance.
7. What happens in a record winter: some contracts cap visits and charge extra beyond the cap.

What are your rights when you sign?

Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act applies to snow contracts like any other service. A contract over $50 must be in writing. If you sign it at your home — a salesperson at the door, for example — you can cancel for any reason within 10 days of getting a written copy, and the company generally has 15 days to refund you. If service has not started within 30 days of the agreed date, you can also cancel. Put any cancellation in writing and keep a copy.

What do the towns clear, and what is left to you?

Knowing what your municipality does tells you what you are paying a contractor for. Every town here asks residents not to push snow back onto the road or sidewalk, and a crew that does it on your behalf is doing it on your behalf.

• Toronto clears about 98% of sidewalks once 2 cm has fallen and the snow has stopped; owners clear their own driveways, steps and landings within 24 hours after a snowfall ends.
• Newmarket clears its sidewalks and runs a windrow-opening pilot for eligible households that must reapply each season. Overnight street parking is banned from November 1 to April 15, between 2 and 6 a.m. — a crew needs the driveway clear of cars, not the street.
• Aurora’s windrow removal pilot clears the end of the driveway from December to April for residents 65 and over or with a disability, for a $200 fee per household.
• Markham plows every sidewalk within 24 hours once 5 cm has fallen, and its windrow assistance program clears the end of the driveway for eligible residents 60 and over.
• Richmond Hill’s Windrow Clearing Program opens at least one car width at the curb on more than 50,000 residential driveways.

If your town already opens the windrow, you may not need to pay a contractor to come back for it — ask for the price without it.

What makes snow removal cost more?

1. Driveway size: a double-wide or a driveway longer than two cars is the biggest single factor.
2. Corner lots: two stretches of sidewalk and a bigger windrow.
3. Hand work: walkways, steps and paths to a side door cannot be plowed.
4. Trigger depth and response time: faster and lower both mean more crew hours.
5. Salt: more applications, or pet-safe products, cost more.
6. Late booking: in December the good crews’ routes are full, and one-off visits during a storm cost the most.