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BlueGuard Snow Removal

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Snow removal cost Ottawa: the full price list

Ask most Ottawa companies what snow removal cost Ottawa homeowners this winter and you get a form, not a number. Here is the whole price list, plus a calculator that gives you your own figure in about twenty seconds.

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  • Every price fixed in writing before you sign
  • Automatic dispatch once 5cm falls
  • City windrow included, not an add-on
  • 275cm of season coverage stated up front

FULL PRICE LIST

How much does snow removal cost in Ottawa?

A season pass costs $499 to $799 for the full winter, October 15 to April 15, depending on driveway size, and covers every snowfall over the 5cm trigger. One-time clearing costs $49 to $99 per visit. Both include the city windrow, both are before HST, and both are the same anywhere within 20 km of our Barrhaven base.

One price for the whole winter. Every snowfall over the 5cm trigger is cleared, however many there are.

How much does snow removal cost in Ottawa? — Season pass
DrivewayPrice
One carSingle-width driveway, roughly one car long (about 200 sq ft)$499+ HSTfor the full winter
Two carDouble-width, or single-width two cars deep (about 400 sq ft)$599+ HSTfor the full winter
Three car and upDouble-width with extra depth, or a wide parking apron (600 sq ft and up)$799+ HSTfor the full winter

Add-ons

  • Walkway and steps

    Front walk and the steps to the door, cleared on the same visit

    $99
  • Salting

    Applied to the walk and steps, charged per application

    $149

That is the snow removal cost Ottawa homeowners actually pay with us: the price on the card, with nothing added after the storm. Clearing the windrow the city plow leaves across your driveway is in the base price on every plan. Several companies in this market price it separately, so it is worth checking on any quote you compare. Aylmer and Hull addresses pay the same prices, quoted plus GST and QST instead of HST.

A double-width residential driveway under snow, the size band that sets snow removal cost Ottawa homeowners are quoted

YOUR PRICE

Work out your own snow removal cost: Ottawa price calculator

The table gives the price list; the calculator gives your number. Three details — driveway size, plan and postal code — and it returns a real range for your property, with the walkway and salting if you want them. No account, no phone call, and nothing is sent anywhere until you decide to book.

The range narrows to a fixed figure once we confirm the property. It is an estimate because a driveway with a steep grade or an awkward turning circle genuinely costs more to clear, not because we are keeping room to move the number later.

WHAT MOVES THE NUMBER

What changes the price of snow removal?

Four things set the price: how much surface there is to clear, the plan you choose (season pass or one-time), the dispatch trigger (5cm standard or 2.5cm priority), and what you add beyond the driveway, such as the walkway or salting. Distance is not one of them: every address inside our 20 km radius pays from the same list.

How much surface there is to clear

This is the largest factor by a distance. A double-width driveway takes roughly twice the passes of a single, and a long lane can take four times as long as a suburban pad. It is why the price list is organised by driveway size rather than by house type.

The plan you choose

A season pass fixes one price for every snowfall over the trigger, all winter. One-time clearing is paid per visit and costs more each time, with nothing owed in a quiet week. Which works out cheaper depends on the winter, as set out further down.

The dispatch trigger you choose

Standard dispatch sends a crew once 5cm has fallen. Priority dispatch drops that to 2.5cm, which means more visits across a winter and therefore a higher season price. Most driveways are still passable below 5cm, so standard is the right answer for most homes.

What you add beyond the driveway

A walkway and steps add a second surface with its own passes and its own safety risk. Salting is charged per application because applying it on a night that does not need it is a cost with no benefit, and over-salting damages concrete and lawn edges.

YOUR AREA

Does it cost more depending on where you live?

No. We serve every postal code within 20 km of our Barrhaven base, Aylmer and Hull included, and the price does not change with distance inside that line. There is no zone pricing and no travel surcharge: the list above is the price in all three stretches of ground below, and only the tax differs on the Quebec side.

Base · 0–10 km

Barrhaven, Nepean, Manotick and Gloucester

Barrhaven itself, Nepean about 7 km out, Manotick about 7 to 10 km and south Gloucester about 6 to 10 km. Closest to the base, and priced from the same list as everywhere else.

10–18 km

Kanata and Stittsville

Kanata at roughly 10 to 18 km and Stittsville at about 15. Further from the base, with no charge for the drive: the same driveway costs the same as it would in Barrhaven.

11–19 km

Central Ottawa

The Glebe, Westboro, Centretown, Sandy Hill, Vanier, Alta Vista and the rest of the core, plus Aylmer and Hull across the river. The furthest stretch from the base, and still the same price list — no zone, no travel surcharge.

Aylmer and Hull addresses are quoted plus GST and QST instead of HST. If your postal code is more than 20 km out, the calculator says so plainly and offers a callback instead of quoting a price we cannot deliver on.

WHICH PLAN

Season pass or one-time: which costs less?

It depends on the winter. For a two-car driveway the season pass costs less once a winter brings more than about 8 clearings, the break-even between the two prices. In an average Ottawa winter that favours the pass; in a mild one, paying per visit wins. Anyone who gives you a flat answer is selling, so here is the arithmetic.

A season pass covers every snowfall over the trigger between October 15 and April 15, up to 275cm of cumulative snow. One-time clearing is booked per storm and priced per visit.

Divide the season price by the one-time price for the same driveway and you get the break-even: the number of storms at which the pass starts costing less. For a two-car driveway that break-even sits at about 8 visits.

A season pass makes sense if

You are home through the winter, you would rather not think about it, and you want the cost fixed in your budget in October rather than arriving storm by storm. It also gets you dispatched automatically, which one-time bookings cannot promise during a heavy storm when the route is already full.

One-time makes sense if

You travel for part of the winter, you have a short driveway you can usually manage yourself, or you only want help after the storms that genuinely bury you. It costs more per visit, and it does not come with a guaranteed slot on a full route.

In an average Ottawa winter the season pass wins for most two-car driveways. In a mild one it does not. That is the trade you are making, and it is worth making with the real numbers in front of you.

BEFORE YOU SIGN

Which hidden costs should you check on a snow quote?

Check five things: the snowfall cap, whether the city windrow is included, what counts as a completed visit, who is liable if someone falls, and whether the price can change mid-winter. These clauses turn attractive snow plowing prices into an expensive winter, so ask about them wherever you book, including here.

  • Is there a snowfall cap?

    Many season contracts stop covering you after a set cumulative snowfall, and the number is often buried. Ask what it is and what happens past it. Ours is 275cm and we keep clearing beyond it at no extra charge.

  • Is the city windrow included?

    The City of Ottawa confirms that clearing the windrow the plow leaves across your driveway is the property owner’s responsibility. It also usually arrives after your driveway has been cleared, so if it is billed separately you may be paying twice for one storm.

    City of Ottawa — winter maintenance

  • What counts as a completed visit?

    If a car is in the way and the crew clears what it can reach, is that a used visit? Ask. We do not count a blocked visit as completed, and we return at no charge once the vehicle has moved.

  • Who is liable if someone falls?

    Ottawa’s Property Maintenance By-law requires an owner or occupant to keep the property free of snow or ice accumulation that could create a hazard. Confirm your contractor carries commercial general liability cover, and ask to see it rather than taking the website’s word.

    City of Ottawa — Property Maintenance By-law 2005-208

  • When does the price change?

    A quote given in September should hold for the season it covers. Ask whether it can be revised mid-winter and under what conditions, and get the answer in the agreement rather than in an email.

QUESTIONS

Snow removal cost Ottawa — common questions

For a season pass covering every snowfall from October 15 to April 15, prices start at $499 for a one-car driveway and run to $799 for a three-car or larger one. One-time clearing runs from $49 to $99 per visit. The price is the same anywhere within 20 km of our Barrhaven base.

It depends on how many storms the winter brings. Divide the season price by the one-time price for your driveway size and you get the break-even — for a two-car driveway that is about 8 visits. Above that the pass costs less; below it, one-time does.

Yes, on every plan, in the base price. The City confirms clearing it is the property owner’s responsibility, and it usually arrives after your driveway has already been done — so if the plow comes back, we come back.

Before. Every figure on this page and in the calculator is the price before HST, which is added at 13% on your invoice. For Aylmer and Hull addresses, GST and QST are added instead of HST. We show it this way because it is how the quotes you are comparing us against are presented.

No. The figure in your agreement is the figure for the season it covers. The only thing that changes it is you changing the service — adding salting mid-winter, for example. Snowfall does not change it, including past the 275cm coverage figure.

A steep grade or an awkward turning circle can push a property into the next size band, which is why the calculator gives a range and we confirm the figure after reviewing the property. It is not a surcharge applied later — you see the confirmed number before you sign anything.

Not for driveways. Pricing by the square foot suits commercial lots, where the surface is measured once and cleared by machine; on a house the time goes into edges, the walkway and the windrow as much as the open surface. So we price by size band instead: a one-car driveway is roughly 200 sq ft, a two-car about 400, and three-car and up 600 or more. If yours sits between two bands, we confirm which one applies after reviewing the property, before you sign anything.

We keep clearing at no additional charge. The 275cm figure is a coverage commitment stated up front, not a cut-off. It is the single most useful clause to check on any snow contract you are offered.

No. Lots, loading areas and commercial walkways vary far too much for a driveway-size table to be honest about. Send the address and we will price it properly rather than quoting a number we would have to revise.

KEEP READING

Where to go next

Snow removal prices in Ottawa are only half the question. These pages cover what you actually get for it, what happens on the night of a storm, and the questions that come up once the number stops being the issue.

GET YOUR NUMBER

See your own price in about twenty seconds

Driveway size, plan, postal code. No account and no phone call — and if you would rather just ask a person, the number below reaches one.

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