The Town of Yarmouth and property owners share responsibility for keeping streets, sidewalks and pedestrian routes clear of snow and ice. The town removes, hauls and clears snow where municipal operations require it for safety and access; property owners must clear snow and ice from sidewalks and related areas next to their properties.
Where the town clears snow
- Intersections where snow banks block drivers’ sight lines.
- Crosswalks near schools so pedestrians can see and be seen.
- The front of retail businesses on Main Street from Parade Street to Argyle Street when:
- snow banks reach 24 inches (about 61 cm) above the adjacent sidewalk, or
- the clear walking width of the sidewalk is reduced to 1.5 metres or less.
- Night-time downtown Main Street clearing (Parade Street to Forest Street), normally between 12:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m., Monday to Friday, as time permits after storm cleanup.
- Additional downtown streets included in the same program:
- Collins Street
- John Street (Main Street to Second Street)
- Cliff Street (Main Street to Kirk Street)
- For Main Street businesses between Forest and Argyle Streets, snow removal is normally done during regular working hours, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
What you must do
Property owners are responsible for clearing snow and ice from:
- Any sidewalk that abuts any side of their property.
- Any pathway from a sidewalk that abuts their property to the roadway.
- The area between a sidewalk that abuts their property and a crosswalk. You must also:
- Apply salt or sand where needed to reduce slipping hazards.
- Remove dangerous or loose icicles and overhanging ice.
For more details on your responsibilities, see our pdf Streets and Sidewalks By-law(247 KB) .
Fire hydrants
When snow accumulation makes hydrants hard to use or buries them, the town shovels them out, normally after storm clean-up is completed.
Snow disposal
After removal, the town takes snow to one of four disposal locations:
- Clements Avenue (off Starrs Road)
- Adjacent to Terry’s Rentals (off Forest Street)
- Clements Avenue (off Parade Street)
- Old Sweeney’s slipway (adjacent to Lobster Rock Wharf)