Commercial Snow Removal Contracts in Indiana
A snow removal contract decides what happens at three in the morning when the snow starts, before anyone has to make a phone call. On Grade writes seasonal, per-push, per-event and time-and-materials contracts for HOAs, churches, offices, retail, shops, property managers and industrial yards from Greencastle to the west side of Indianapolis. Each one sets the trigger, the scope and the order on the route.
- Free estimates
- Based in Greencastle, Indiana
- Residential and commercial
How a snow contract is set up
Four ways to pay for it
A seasonal contract is one agreed amount for the winter, usually split into payments, no matter how many times it snows. The owner knows the cost up front. In a light winter the owner pays for storms that never came, and in a heavy one the contractor carries the extra work. Some seasonal contracts set a cap on the number of events, with anything past it billed separately. That cap, if there is one, should be written down.
A per-push contract bills each time the plow clears the lot after the trigger is reached, so a long storm can mean two or three pushes. Per-event or per-occurrence bills once per storm, with the start and end of a storm defined in the contract. Time and materials bills for equipment time and the salt spread, which suits hauling, odd sites and very large storms. Each one puts the weather risk on a different side of the table.
What goes in the contract
The trigger depth comes first. It is the amount of snow on the ground that sends the plow out, and it is a number agreed between the owner and On Grade, not a guess made on the night. Next is priority: where the property sits on the route and which part of the site gets opened first. Then salting, written either as included on every visit or as a separate charge each time it is spread, and whether it goes down without being called for.
Sidewalks are either in the contract or they are somebody else's job, and the contract should say which. The same goes for hauling when the piles run out of room. A site map shows the drive lanes, the areas to clear, where the piles go and where they must never go. The last part is how each push gets logged, with the arrival time, the finish time and what was done.
The walk-through before winter
Before the season Travis walks the site with the owner or the property manager. Curb lines, islands, light pole bases, drains, fire hydrants, speed bumps and the edge of every landscaped bed get marked with stakes, because none of them can be seen under the snow. Damage that is already there, a broken curb, a cracked apron or torn turf at a corner, gets photographed and noted. That way the spring conversation is about what actually happened over the winter.
The walk-through also settles the pile areas. Piles belong away from storm drains, out of the sight lines at the entrances, off accessible parking and fire lanes, and on the low side of the lot so meltwater runs away from the drive lanes. If the site has nowhere good to put a winter's worth of snow, that is when to talk about hauling it off.
Who these contracts suit
HOAs usually need common drives, entrances, mailbox areas and the clubhouse lot cleared, with the board signing one agreement for the whole neighborhood. Churches need the lot and the walks open for services, which means the timing is set around the schedule rather than the business day. Offices and retail want the lot clear before staff and customers arrive. Shops and industrial yards care most about truck access, the drive lanes and the docks.
Property managers with more than one site often want the same terms across all of them, with each site on its own map. That is a normal way to set it up. Each site still gets its own walk-through before winter. The plowing side of the work is covered on commercial snow plowing for parking lots, and the ice side on the salting and ice management page.
Sign it before the first storm
Routes are built in the fall from the properties that have signed. Once the first snow falls, contract customers are served in the order the contracts set, and anyone calling for the first time that morning is fitted in after them. That is how every snow contractor has to run, because the plow can only be in one place at a time. Signing in October or November gives the site a place on the route and time for the walk-through.
If you are comparing quotes from more than one contractor, the snow removal contract guide lists the questions to ask and what to get in writing so the quotes can be compared fairly. When you call, have the address, a rough idea of the paved area, whether walks are included, and the hours the site needs to be open. Photographs of the lot help too.
Snow Removal and Plowing
Plowing, salting, hauling and sidewalks for homes and businesses from Greencastle to the west side of Indianapolis.
See the pageTalk to Travis(317) 203-8928
Call or text the address and what needs clearing: a lot, a drive, walks or all three. Travis sets the route and the terms with you before the first snow.
Call nowWhat that covers
- Seasonal contracts. One agreed amount for the winter, with any event cap written in.
- Per-push contracts. Billed each time the lot is plowed after the trigger is reached.
- Per-event contracts. Billed once per storm, with the start and end of a storm defined.
- Time and materials. Equipment time and salt, often used for hauling and odd sites.
- Site map and walk-through. Markers, pile areas and existing damage recorded before winter.
- Push log. Arrival, finish and the work done, recorded for every visit.
Snow Removal and Plowing
Plowing, salting, hauling and sidewalks for homes and businesses from Greencastle to the west side of Indianapolis.
See the pageSnow serviceCommercial Snow Plowing
Parking lots, drive lanes and loading docks plowed in a set order, with piles where the site map puts them.
See the pageSnow serviceDriveway Snow Plowing
House drives, long gravel drives, private lanes and subdivision drives, plowed per push or by the season.
See the pageSnow serviceSalting and Ice Management
Pre-treating before freezing rain, salting after the plow, and going back out when meltwater refreezes.
See the pageSnow serviceSidewalk Snow Removal
Walks, entrances, steps, ramps and business frontage cleared and treated on the same visit as the lot.
See the pageContracts from Greencastle to <span class="gt">Indianapolis</span>
On Grade writes snow contracts for sites in Putnam, Hendricks and Boone counties and the west side of Marion County. Commercial sites on the west side have a town page for snow removal in Indianapolis with local detail. The full list of snow services is on the snow removal and plowing page. Every contract starts with a walk of the site.
Set up before the first snow.
You call
Call, text or send the form with the address and what needs clearing: a lot, a drive, walks, or all of it.
Travis walks it
Before the season he walks the property with you, marks curbs, drains and islands, and agrees where the snow goes.
Terms in writing
Seasonal, per push or per event, the trigger, salt and walks are written down, so nobody argues at five in the morning.
Cleared when it falls
When it snows, the property is worked in the order agreed, salted if it is in the contract, and logged.
The machines and the crew.
These are photographs from Travis's actual jobs: the same equipment and the same crew that run the snow routes. See more recent work.
Questions people ask
Not seeing yours? Call (317) 203-8928 and ask Travis, or read the guides.
Which is better, a seasonal contract or per-push?
Neither is better in every case. A seasonal contract gives a fixed cost for the winter and suits owners who need a firm budget, like HOAs and churches. Per-push costs less in a light winter and more in a heavy one. The question is who carries the risk of a bad winter. If the budget has to be fixed, seasonal usually makes more sense.
What is a trigger depth?
It is the amount of snow on the ground that sends the plow out. It is agreed between the owner and On Grade and written into the contract. A lower trigger means more visits and a cleaner lot. A higher one means fewer visits. Salting usually works on its own trigger, because ice can be a problem with no snow at all.
Do you clear sidewalks under the same contract?
They can be. Walks, entrances, steps and ramps are often written into the same agreement as the lot, so they get done on the same visit. If another company or the building staff handles the walks, the contract should say so clearly. Whoever is responsible, the walks should be named somewhere in writing so nothing is left unclaimed.
How are pushes and salt applications recorded?
Each visit gets logged with the date, the arrival and finish times, what was plowed and whether salt was spread. The owner can ask for that log with each bill. It matters on per-push and per-event contracts, where the log is the basis of the bill, and it matters on any site where a slip-and-fall claim might mean showing when the lot was last treated.
Can we sign a contract after the snow has started?
Call and ask, but expect to be fitted in after the properties already on the route. Contracts signed before the season get their place and their walk-through first. A site signed mid-winter can still be set up, but the markers go in on snow-covered ground and the first visits may come later in the storm than a contract customer's would.
Other work he takes on
Most jobs end up being two or three of these at once, and they get quoted together.
Snow removal in other towns
Excavation & Site Prep
Sites stripped, cut and graded, ready for the builder.
Learn moreFoundation & Basement Excavation
Basements, crawl spaces and footings dug to grade and backfilled.
Learn moreDrainage, Culverts & Utilities
Water moved off yards and away from foundations; culverts and service lines set.
Learn moreDriveways & Finish Grading
Gravel drives built and crowned; yards finish graded for seed.
Learn moreLand Clearing & Forestry Mulching
Lots and acreage cleared, brush mulched in place.
Learn moreBuilding & Pole Barn Pads
Pads cut, filled and compacted for barns, shops and houses.
Learn moreFree snow contract estimate.
Call or text Travis. Snow contracts and one-off plowing, set up before the first snow.
Greencastle, Indiana · Putnam, Hendricks, Boone and Marion counties
Snow removal where you are
Each town has its own page: what winter does there, what gets plowed and how the contracts are set up.
Need a snow contract for your site?
Call Travis at (317) 203-8928 and get the contract signed before the first storm.