The windrow at the end of your driveway
The windrow, the ridge of snow a plow leaves across the end of a driveway, is yours to clear. The City says its
plows push snow from the road to the boulevard, so a plow will fill in driveways, and "It's the property owner's
responsibility to maintain property access." Move the windrow onto your own property, never back onto the road.
If you need help shovelling, the City suggests the Snow Angels, a volunteer group that is not a City service. To
hire help instead, ask for the windrow to be included when you arrange
driveway snow removal.
Request a quote
Where you cannot put snow
Snow has to stay off the street, the sidewalk and the boulevard: pile it on your own land or have it hauled away.
The City says, "Moving snow from your driveway to the street or sidewalk is illegal." Streets By-law S-1, which counts ice and slush as snow, bars anyone from
depositing snow on a street (section 2.4), depositing snow or ice on a sidewalk or roadway (section 8.2(a)), and
moving snow or ice from private land to a boulevard, sidewalk or roadway (section 8.3(a)). The Traffic and
Parking By-law defines the boulevard as the part of the road allowance that is not sidewalk, driveway access,
roadway or shoulder.
The rules also cover snow a person causes to be moved, so agree with anyone you hire on where the snow will go.
Snow put there anyway must be removed right away, and the City Engineer may have it cleared without notice at the
owner's expense.
Sidewalk rules downtown and elsewhere
Owners along the downtown streets listed in Schedule C of the Streets By-law must clear the sidewalk along their
lot lines before 10:00 a.m. on any day that is not a holiday under the Retail Business Holidays Act (section
8.1(a)). If they do not, the City Engineer may clear it without notice at the owner's expense.
Schedule C, the Central Business District, covers set blocks of Carling, Clarence, Colborne, Dufferin, Dundas,
Fullarton, Kent, King, Queens, Richmond, Ridout Street North, Talbot, Waterloo, Wellington and York, plus Covent
Market Place. The page on commercial snow removal lists each block.
Elsewhere, the City clears sidewalks to its own standard and encourages residents to be good neighbours and
shovel the sidewalk in front of their homes. For your own walkways and steps,
sidewalk clearing and salting explains how much salt is enough.
Icicles and snow falling from buildings
Section 8.6(a) of the Streets By-law requires the owner of a lot whose building, structure or sign could drop
icicles, ice or snow onto the street to remove them by 10:00 a.m. on any day that is not a holiday under the
Retail Business Holidays Act.
Winter parking rules and snow events
From November 15 to March 31, overnight street parking in London is restricted: the Traffic and Parking By-law
bans parking on any roadway or shoulder between 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. unless the vehicle has an Overnight
Parking Pass. For the 2026 to 2027 winter, the City says overnight parking is permitted until November 15, 2026.
Passes are free for personal vehicles, up to 15 per licence plate, then $5.00 each on the HONK website. They are
not issued more than 48 hours ahead and cannot be used on streets signed "No Parking 3 to 5 a.m."
A snow event overrides the passes. When one is forecast, or there is enough snow to send out the plows, no
on-street parking is allowed overnight, and pass holders hear by phone call or email when the ban starts and
ends. Daytime parking is still allowed, because most plowing happens at night, and the City posts bans at
london.ca/snow.
Penalty amounts at a glance
The City's penalty by-law, AMPS By-law A-54, lists these amounts, which can change when
it is amended. S-1 is the Streets By-law and PS-114 the
Traffic and Parking By-law.
| Rule broken |
By-law section |
Penalty |
| Throwing, placing or depositing snow on a street |
S-1, s. 2.4 |
$300 |
| Depositing snow or ice on a sidewalk or roadway |
S-1, s. 8.2(a) |
$150 |
| Moving snow or ice to a boulevard, sidewalk or roadway |
S-1, s. 8.3 |
$150 |
| Not removing icicles, snow or ice from a building, structure or sign |
S-1, s. 8.6(a) |
$150 |
| Parking in front of a driveway access |
PS-114, s. 10(1)(c) |
$65 |
| Parking on a street between 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. |
PS-114, s. 10(1)(h) |
$50 |
| Parking where parking is restricted in an emergency |
PS-114, s. 15(1) |
$50 |
Reporting a street or sidewalk the City missed
Wait 24 hours from the end of the snowfall, then report it through the City's Service London portal; the City
asks residents to give its response team that long. During the winter, the City posts updates from its crews on
its Snow updates page at london.ca/snow.
Questions about London snow rules
Does the City clear the snowbank at the end of my driveway?
No. The City says its plows push snow from the road to the boulevard and fill in driveways, and that maintaining property access is the property owner's responsibility. For help shovelling, it points residents to Snow Angels, a volunteer group that is not a City service.
Can I push snow onto the road or the boulevard?
No. London's Streets By-law bars depositing snow on a street and moving snow or ice from private land to a boulevard, sidewalk or roadway. The City's penalty by-law lists $300 for depositing snow on a street and $150 for moving it to a boulevard, sidewalk or roadway.
When is overnight street parking banned in London?
From November 15 to March 31, parking on a London street between 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. is banned unless the vehicle has an overnight parking pass. When a snow event is forecast or the plows go out, no on-street parking is allowed overnight, even with a pass.
How long does the City take to plow my street?
On a local street, the City's standard is to clear the road within 24 hours after the snow stops, once 10 cm has fallen. Main roads and bus routes come first, and these times are standards, not guarantees.
How do I report a street the City has not cleared?
Wait 24 hours from the end of the snowfall, then report it through the City's Service London portal. The City asks residents to give its response team that long before reporting a snow service request.
Sources: City of London winter maintenance, overnight parking and Snow updates pages and newsroom; by-laws
S-1, PS-114 and A-54; Environment
and Climate Change Canada climate normals. Rules can change, so check the City's pages before relying on a
detail.
