Before the first storm
Winter property maintenance starts in the fall
Work through this list in October and November. Each item is cheap now and expensive in January.
Snow contract signed and route set
Routes fill through November. Choose seasonal, per-event or per-push — the snow contract pricing guide compares them — and get the site on a route before the first forecast.
Site map and snow stakes
Curbs, islands, hydrants, drains, speed bumps and accessible spaces marked on a site map and staked, so plows do not find them by hitting them.
Drains and inlets cleared
Leaves out of catch basins and inlets, and basin outlets open, before they freeze. A blocked inlet turns every melt into ice. See fall cleanup and stormwater basin maintenance.
Pavement repaired while it still can be
Crack sealing and permanent patching need mild weather. Water in an open crack freezes, expands and becomes a spring pothole — see commercial asphalt repair.
The building edge
The items people forget until the first ice
Most slips happen within a few steps of a door. These are the building-side checks:
Downspouts and roof drains
Downspouts that discharge across a walk refreeze every night. Extend or redirect them now.
Lighting
In December it is dark at 5pm. Walks and lots need working lights for crews and for anyone walking to a car.
Trip hazards
Heaved slabs and broken curbs are hidden under snow. Mark or fix them before they disappear.
Entrance mats and salt storage
Mats inside the doors, and walkway de-icer stored where staff can reach it for small touch-ups.
During the season
What has to happen every storm
Once the season starts, winter property maintenance is about consistency and records.
Lots and drives
Plowed to the trigger depth agreed in the contract, in the agreed order.
Every visit logged
Time-stamped records, the defense when a claim arrives — see snow service records.
Systems
Equipment and utilities worth checking before a cold snap
A few non-snow items cause a lot of winter emergencies.
Irrigation shut down
Backflow devices and lines drained and blown out before a hard freeze.
Generators
Fueled, tested and serviced before storm season; we handle generator refueling and maintenance as part of emergency response.
Trees over walks and lines
Dead limbs over walks, entrances and parking removed before ice loads them.
Emergency contacts
Who to call at 3am, written down. Ours is (732) 803-5656.
Questions
Winter property maintenance questions we hear most
If yours is not here, call (732) 274-0496.
When should a commercial property start winter preparation?
October. Drains, pavement repairs and the snow contract all need to be done before the first freeze, and routes fill through November.
What is the biggest winter liability for a commercial property?
Slips at entrances and walks, usually from refreeze after the storm. Records of when walks were cleared and treated are the main defense.
Who has to clear the public sidewalk in front of my property?
In most New Jersey towns the owner of the abutting property does, within a deadline set by local ordinance. Check your town’s code or our NJ sidewalk snow removal laws by town; we can include the frontage in your scope.
Can potholes be fixed in winter?
Temporarily, with cold patch. Permanent repairs wait for hot mix in spring — see asphalt repair.
Do you do a pre-winter site walk?
Yes. We walk the site, build the snow map and flag anything on this list that needs doing first.
Keep going
Related winter pages
Each item on the checklist has its own page.
Illustration photos: Bradley Andrews on Unsplash.
