Snow Plowing & Removal for North NJ Driveways and Sidewalks
Driveway plowing, walks and steps shoveled, and salting for homes in Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties. Buy a season plan, or call us when a storm hits.
We plow residential driveways, shovel walks and steps, and salt them, for homes in Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties. You can buy a season plan, with the price and the terms written down before the first storm, or call us when snow is coming and we quote that job by phone. For a typical two-car driveway a season plan runs about $600 to $1,500 for the whole winter, and the table below shows what moves that number.
Sidewalk deadlines run from six hours in Hoboken to forty-eight in Wayne, with Millburn at eight hours of daylight in between. Below the prices and the driveway questions is a table of the sidewalk and street-snow rules for fifteen towns in our four counties, each read from the town's own code, because the clock is the owner's and not the plow's.
What a season with us covers
A season plan covers the work on your property for the winter, and the plan names each part so there is no argument later about what was included. That is the driveway plowed to the trigger depth written into your plan, the ridge of packed snow the town plow leaves across the end of the driveway, the front walk and steps shoveled, and salting or de-icing on those walks and steps. We are insured for snow plowing.
The depth of snow at which we come out is set in your plan, not on this page. The right number depends on the driveway, the slope and how the household uses it, so it is a conversation, not a default. The plan also says the order we work in, which for most homes is the driveway first so you can get out, then the walks and steps. No plan promises a response time, and none of ours says how fast a crew arrives after a storm starts. What the plan does say is what we do and what it costs.
There are two ways to buy. A season plan fixes the price and the terms before the first storm. A storm call is for a household that does not want a contract: you phone, and we quote that job by phone. We do not publish a price for a single storm call, because the same driveway is a very different job after two inches of powder than after a foot of wet snow, and a number on a web page would be wrong for most of the storms it was quoted for.
What it costs
For a two-car driveway of the length in the table, plowed at the trigger depth set in your plan, a season plan runs about $600 to $1,500 for the whole winter. Adding the front walk, steps and salting for the season adds $200 to $700. Both are planning ranges. The final price is a written quote after we look at the property, and the range assumes the trigger depth in your plan.
What moves the price is the plain stuff: how long and wide the driveway is, how steep, how many cars, whether there is a second drive, where the snow can go, and how many walks and steps are on the job. The written quote also says how an unusually heavy storm is handled, so nothing about it is left for the bill.
A storm call is different. When you phone us during or before a storm, we quote that job by phone, and no figure for it is published here. If you want to know what a single storm would cost on your property, call and ask; if you would rather know the whole winter's cost before it starts, buy the plan.
| Job | Covers | Planning range |
|---|---|---|
| Two-car driveway about fifty feet long, plowed at the trigger depth set in your plan | The whole season | $600 to $1,500 |
| Add the front walk, steps and salting | The whole season | Adds $200 to $700 |
Planning ranges, not quotes. The final price is a written quote after a look at the property, and the range assumes the trigger depth set in your plan. Longer, wider, steeper or gated driveways, and properties with more than one drive, are quoted separately after a walk-through.
Long, private and gated driveways
A long or private driveway is quoted after a look at the property, because length, width, slope, turnarounds, a gate or keypad, and the place the snow can go are what decide the work. The range above is for a two-car driveway of the stated length; a long drive is a different job, not just a bigger number.
So the quote asks what a plow cannot guess from the road: how we get in, with a gate code or keypad arrangement agreed in advance; where snow can be pushed without burying landscaping, a stone wall or a drain; where water runs when it melts and refreezes; and which edges, pavers and lawn borders need a hand-shoveled margin instead of a blade. A second drive to a garage, a carriage house or a pool house is listed as its own line.
Before the season we agree in writing the trigger depth in your plan and the order of work, drive first, then walks and steps. We also agree the exclusions in writing. Plowing right up to a paver apron, a curb edge or a lawn border can scuff it, so what we will and will not plow up to is settled with you before the first storm, not on the morning of it. Large and estate properties that run past the stated range are quoted after a walk-through, with the figure in writing.
Where we work
We plow homes in Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties, from our Garfield shop. The list below leads with the towns where long private driveways, hillside lots and older, taller houses are most common, because that is the work this plan is built around: the lot that has a long drive, mature trees and a second structure, and the owner who wants it handled quietly, on terms agreed before the season.
On those properties the driveway is the smaller half of the job. A long or curved drive means more than one pass and a place to put the snow that does not bury a bed or block a drain. A gate or keypad means an access arrangement before the first storm. A hillside lot, or one set above the road, means snow that has to be pushed away from the house and not toward a neighbor's lot. Your homeowners' association or condominium documents may decide who clears what on shared drives and walks, on top of what the town requires; read them before you sign anything, ours included.
Town rules matter as much as the lot. In Hoboken the work is the sidewalk and the stoop in front of a brownstone or a townhouse, on the shortest deadline in the table below, six hours. In Ridgewood's downtown the code has long required snow to be cleared as it falls, and since September 1, 2026 every Ridgewood owner has had to clear corners, crosswalk entry pads and the area around an abutting hydrant as well. We do not promise to beat any town's clock. The deadline stays the owner's, and the plan tells you honestly what a crew can and cannot do about it.
Bergen County
- Saddle River
- Upper Saddle River
- Alpine
- Ho-Ho-Kus
- Franklin Lakes
- Ridgewood
- Wyckoff
- Tenafly
- Cresskill
- Demarest
- Englewood Cliffs
- Closter
- Old Tappan
- Allendale
- Glen Rock
- Mahwah
- Ramsey
- River Vale
Passaic County
- Wayne
- North Haledon
Essex County
- Montclair
- Glen Ridge
- Millburn (Short Hills)
- Livingston
- Essex Fells
- North Caldwell
- Verona
Hudson County
- Hoboken
How long you have to clear your sidewalk
Hiring a plow does not change the clock: the town writes to the owner of the property. The shortest clock in the table is Hoboken's six hours after the snow falls. Millburn gives eight hours of daylight; Montclair, Wyckoff, Tenafly, Upper Saddle River and Livingston give twelve hours of daylight; Ridgewood, Englewood and Garfield give twenty-four hours; and Wayne gives forty-eight. A few towns also add what you have to clear and how wide: Ridgewood now wants corners, crosswalk pads and hydrants cleared, Franklin Lakes sets a school-opening deadline on listed main roads, and Teaneck gives business streets twelve hours and every other street twenty-four.
If the deadline passes, the town can clear the walk itself and put the cost on the property as a lien added to the next tax bill. Several of the codes below say so. Where a fine sits in a general-penalty section we did not read, the table says "the town's general penalty" and prints no amount. Read the town's own page before you rely on a row; codes are amended, and every row is dated in the sources.
| Town | Deadline | Width and extras | Penalty | Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ridgewood (Bergen) | 24 hours after snow falls or ice forms, in residential zones. In the B-1, B-2, P and P-2 downtown business and office zones snow is cleared as it falls, and snow that starts after 6 p.m. by 9 a.m. the next morning | Since Sept. 1, 2026 (Ord. 4109): a width of at least 20 inches, all corners and crosswalk entry pads and areas, and on and around any abutting fire hydrant. No snow into the street where it would impede traffic | A court appearance is required for a downtown-zone violation and for any second violation; the Village may clear the walk and lien the cost | Section 249-1 and 249-3, Ord. 4109 (ecode360.com/6695042) |
| Saddle River (Bergen) | No sidewalk deadline in the snow article we read, which is about the road | No throwing or plowing snow onto the traveled road after the Borough has plowed it; a vehicle that impedes the plow can be towed | $100 for snow onto the road; the article's general penalty otherwise | Ch. 191, Art. IV, sections 191-18 to 191-20 (ecode360.com/10638568) |
| Upper Saddle River (Bergen) | 12 hours of daylight after it forms or falls | At least 2 feet of the paved sidewalk; a 5-foot radius kept clear around a hydrant. Owner strictly liable for a contractor who puts snow on a public street | Fines as provided in section 1-15 of the Borough Code; the Borough may clear the walk and lien the cost | Sections 122-17.1 and 122-17.2 (ecode360.com/8646505) |
| Franklin Lakes (Bergen) | On listed main roads near schools: 24 hours, or one hour before the declared school opening if that is later. A 5-foot radius around a hydrant within 24 hours of daylight | Applies to the walks and walkways of the roads in the code's schedule, such as parts of Franklin Lake Road, High Mountain Road and Franklin Avenue | $50 to $200 for a first offense, $50 to $400 for each further offense within 90 days; each day is a new violation | Sections 373-15.1 and 373-15.2 (ecode360.com/7173996) |
| Wyckoff (Bergen) | 12 hours of daylight after it falls or forms; enforced only after the Chief of Police issues a written order that weighs the severity of the storm | A plow operator may not put snow from private property onto a road, sidewalk, right-of-way or another owner's property | Up to $500 and/or 90 days for an owner; $250, then $500, for a plow operator | Sections 165-1, 165-1.1 and 165-5 (ecode360.com/11430594) |
| Tenafly (Bergen) | 12 hours of daylight after it stops falling or forms, in the duty section; the section that lets the Borough clear a walk refers to 24 hours, so plan for the shorter one | In the B1 and B2 business districts, to within one foot of the curb, with a clear path at least 4 feet wide; ice that cannot be removed is covered with sand, salt or ashes | The Borough may clear the walk after three days' notice and lien the cost; no amount in this section | Sections 12-3.1 and 12-3.2 (ecode360.com/36194184) |
| Glen Rock (Bergen) | 24 hours of daylight after it falls or forms | Ice too frozen to remove is treated with rock salt or other chemicals, or covered with sand, ashes or cinders. First-floor tenant clears in a building with several tenants; businesses also clear their parking lots and walkways | A fine up to $2,000, up to 90 days in jail, or up to 90 days of community service, in any combination | Sections 188-1 to 188-4 (ecode360.com/10100507) |
| Teaneck (Bergen) | 12 hours after the snow stops on the listed business streets (Cedar Lane and parts of Palisade Avenue, Queen Anne Road, Teaneck Road, The Plaza and West Englewood Avenue); 24 hours on other streets | 3 feet clear around a fire hydrant; a path cut at corners and mid-block crosswalks to the plowed street | The town's general penalty (section 1-6) | Sections 32-6 and 32-65 (ecode360.com/13650627) |
| Englewood (Bergen) | 24 hours after snow stops or ice forms | Sidewalks kept free of snow, ice, leaves, grass, weeds and other debris | A fine up to $500, up to 90 days in jail, or both | Sections 380-50 and 380-51 (ecode360.com/13860811) |
| Garfield (Bergen) | 24 hours after snow falls or ice forms, on sidewalks and gutters | No snow into a street that has already been cleared | First offense $150; second within twelve months $250; third within twelve months $500 with a court appearance and up to 30 hours of community service; fourth or later up to $2,000 with court and 50 to 100 hours | Ch. 280, sections 280-1 and 280-2 (ecode360.com/37510995) |
| Wayne (Passaic) | 48 hours after snow falls or ice forms | An unobstructed path at least 36 inches wide; no snow onto the roadway between the curblines | $100 for each violation; the Township may clear the walk and lien the cost | Sections 180-20 to 180-25 (ecode360.com/7673573) |
| Montclair (Essex) | 12 hours of daylight after it falls or forms | The full paved width or at least 48 inches; a clear path to any crosswalk; ice that cannot be removed is covered with sand, salt or similar material | $100 for a first offense; $200 to $500 for a repeat within six months; each day is a separate violation | Sections 297-31 to 297-34.1 (ecode360.com/7188504) |
| Millburn (Essex) | 8 hours of daylight after it forms or falls | Sidewalks, public pathways and gutters in front of the premises | No amount in this section | Section 15-6.5 (ecode360.com/35065807) |
| Livingston (Essex) | 12 hours of daylight after the snow stops | In a building with several households or businesses, the first-floor occupant clears. Snow or ice on an accessible parking space or curb cut within 48 hours after the weather ends | A fine up to $500, up to 90 days in jail, or both; each day is a separate offense | Sections 274-6 to 274-12 (ecode360.com/10300993) |
| Hoboken (Hudson) | Within the first six hours after every fall of snow or hail, or after ice forms on the sidewalk | A walkway at least 4 feet wide or two-thirds of the sidewalk, whichever is greater; gutter cleared 2 feet into the street; snow piled between the cleared path and the curb no higher than 3.5 feet; nothing into the street; mailboxes, ramps and meters kept accessible | $250 to $2,000, up to 90 days in jail, or both | Sections 168-8 and 168-28 (ecode360.com/15253076) |
Where a town's snow section states no penalty, the table says so and prints no amount: the fine then sits in the town's general-penalty section. Every row was read from the town's own code on ecode360.com on October 13, 2026. This is a summary for planning, not legal advice; the code itself controls.
Where the snow goes
Most of the trouble a homeowner has with snow comes after the plowing, from where the pile ends up, so the plan names where piles may go. Several towns write the rule so that it reaches whoever is plowing, not just the owner, and in most of the towns in the table above snow may not be pushed into the street. Several of them bar it only once the town has plowed or cleared that street. Four codes are worth knowing before you choose who plows your drive.
- Upper Saddle River: none on a public street, and the owner, tenant or occupant is strictly liable for any contractor, subcontractor or hiree who does it (section 122-17.1).
- Wyckoff: the operator of a snowplow may not put snow from private property onto a road, sidewalk, right-of-way or another owner's property; $250 for a first offense, $500 after (section 165-1.1).
- Montclair: none into a street, against a hydrant, or onto a public transit loading area, and none onto another owner's land unless that owner has agreed to take it (section 297-33).
- Hoboken: snow, ice and dirt may never be moved into the street (section 168-8).
Who is liable if someone slips on your sidewalk
In short: the owner of a house generally is not liable for snow that fell naturally on the public sidewalk, but is liable if clearing it makes things worse. That is the rule New Jersey's Model Civil Jury Charge 5.20B (revised January 2025) gives juries for a residential owner, and it cites Luchejko v. City of Hoboken (2011) for the point.
Businesses, landlords and associations are treated differently, and the duty they carry is set out on our commercial page. This is a summary of one source, not legal advice, and a lawyer is the right person to ask about your own property. Hiring a plow does not change what your town's code says is owed.
Salt and de-icers
We salt walks and steps, and the written plan names what is salted. Shoveling or plowing first and salting only what is left puts less salt on the ground, and the plan says which of those it does.
We do not describe any de-icer as safer for pets, for concrete or for the environment; those are product claims we would need a label to back up.
Landlords, HOAs and businesses
Rental properties, condominiums, HOAs and business lots carry a heavier duty than a single-family home, and the codes of several towns set shorter deadlines for them. Those rules, and the lots, entrances and plazas we plow, are on our commercial snow removal page.
Roof snow and ice dams are a different job
This page is about ground-level snow: the driveway, the walk, the steps. Snow and ice on a roof, and the ice dams that form at the eaves, are a roofing job with their own page on ice dam removal.
Common questions
How much does snow removal cost in North Jersey?
For a typical two-car driveway, plowed at the trigger depth set in your plan, a season plan runs about $600 to $1,500 for the whole winter; the table on this page states the driveway. Adding the front walk, steps and salting for the season adds $200 to $700. These are planning ranges, and the final price is a written quote after we look at the property. A single storm call is quoted by phone.
Is a season plan or paying per storm better?
A season plan fixes the price and the terms before the first storm, including the trigger depth and the order of work. A storm call is for a household that does not want a contract, and it is quoted by phone when you call. If you want to know the winter's cost in October, buy the plan; if you want to decide storm by storm, call each time.
How deep does the snow get before you come out?
The depth at which we come out is set in your plan. It depends on the driveway, the slope and how the household uses it, so we agree it with you in writing before the season. We do not promise a response time.
Do you shovel walks and steps and salt them?
Yes. A plan can cover shoveling the front walk and steps and salting or de-icing them, in addition to plowing the driveway. Each is named in the written plan so you know what is included.
Do you plow long, private or gated driveways?
Yes, and they are quoted after a look at the property, because length, slope, turnarounds, a gate or keypad and the place the snow can go decide the work. We agree gate access, where snow may be pushed, and which edges and pavers need a hand-shoveled margin in writing before the season. Estate-size properties that run past the stated range are quoted after a walk-through.
How long do I have to clear my sidewalk?
It depends on the town. Hoboken gives six hours after the snow falls, Millburn eight hours of daylight, Montclair, Wyckoff, Tenafly, Upper Saddle River and Livingston twelve hours of daylight, Ridgewood, Englewood and Garfield twenty-four hours, and Wayne forty-eight. The table on this page lists the deadline, the width and the penalty for each, and your town's own code controls.
How long do I have to clear my sidewalk in Garfield?
Twenty-four hours after the snow falls or the ice forms, on sidewalks and gutters. The penalty is $150 for a first offense, $250 for a second within twelve months, $500 with a court appearance and up to 30 hours of community service for a third, and up to $2,000 with court and 50 to 100 hours of community service for a fourth or later offense.
Am I liable if someone slips on my sidewalk in New Jersey?
Under New Jersey's Model Civil Jury Charge, the owner of a house generally has no duty to clear natural snow and ice from the public sidewalk, but is liable if, in clearing it, the owner negligently adds a new element of danger. Commercial owners and associations carry a different duty, covered on our commercial page. This is a summary, not legal advice, and hiring a plow does not change who is responsible.
Can I push snow into the street?
In most of the towns in our table, no. Several bar it only once the town has plowed or cleared the street, Hoboken bars it outright, and Upper Saddle River and Wyckoff write the rule to reach the contractor or the plow operator as well as the owner. Where the pile goes is written into your plan, and your town's own code controls.
Do you remove snow from roofs?
This page is about ground-level snow. Snow and ice on a roof, and ice dams at the eaves, are a roofing job and have their own page on ice dam removal on this site.
Sources
- Ridgewood Code, section 249-1 (snow and ice removal) and Ordinance No. 4109, adopted 2026-08-12, effective 2026-09-01 — retrieved
- Ridgewood Ordinance No. 4109 (scanned ordinance, amending section 249-1) — retrieved
- Saddle River Code, Chapter 191, Article IV, sections 191-18 to 191-20 (snow emergencies and snow removal) — retrieved
- Upper Saddle River Code, sections 122-17.1 and 122-17.2 (snow and ice on streets and sidewalks) — retrieved
- Franklin Lakes Code, sections 373-15 to 373-15.2 (snow removal from sidewalks and around hydrants) — retrieved
- Wyckoff Code, Chapter 165, Article I, sections 165-1, 165-1.1 and 165-5 (removal of snow) — retrieved
- Tenafly Code, sections 12-3.1 and 12-3.2 (removal of snow, ice, weeds and grass) — retrieved
- Glen Rock Code, Chapter 188, sections 188-1 to 188-4 (snow and ice removal) — retrieved
- Teaneck Code, section 32-6 (snow and ice on sidewalks) — retrieved
- Teaneck Code, sections 32-65 and 32-66 (snow or ice deposited in roadway) — retrieved
- Englewood Code, Chapter 380, Article IX, sections 380-50 and 380-51 (maintenance of sidewalks) — retrieved
- Garfield Code, Chapter 280, sections 280-1 and 280-2 (sidewalk snow and ice) — retrieved
- Wayne Code, Chapter 180, Article IV, sections 180-20 to 180-25 (sidewalk clearances; removal of snow and ice) — retrieved
- Montclair Code, Chapter 297, Article III, sections 297-31 to 297-34.1 (snow and ice removal) — retrieved
- Millburn Code, Chapter 15, section 15-6.5 (removal of snow and ice) — retrieved
- Livingston Code, Chapter 274, Article II, sections 274-6 to 274-12 (snow and ice removal) — retrieved
- Hoboken Code, Chapter 168, sections 168-8 and 168-28 (snow removal; violations and penalties) — retrieved
- NJ Model Civil Jury Charge 5.20B, Sidewalk Snow and Ice (rev. 01/2025) — retrieved
Want a snow plan?
Tell us about the driveway, the walks and steps, and your town. We will come back to you with a season-plan quote after a look at the property, or arrange a storm call.