Snow & Ice

The Street Division coordinates snow and ice control 24/7 during the winter season utilizing City trucks on primary roads and contracted plow trucks when plowing snow on residential streets, public parking lots, and pathways. For questions or concerns related to snow and ice removal, please call the Street Division mainline at 779-348-7260.

Responsibilities

The Public Works Department is responsible for the following:

• Plowing and Salting:
  • 250 miles of arterial and collector (primary) streets
  • 529 miles of local (residential) streets
  • 625 cul de sacs
  • 42 miles of multi-use paths
  • 48 public parking lots
• Declaring the city-wide snow emergency ordinance
• Enforcing odd/even parking
• Enforcing snow removal on public sidewalks in commercial areas

What Is the Odd / Even Parking Ordinance

In order for our crews to remove snow and ice, we must have the ability to safely and effectively maneuver a plow truck up and down our streets. If a snow or ice storm reaches the point that streets are becoming difficult to clear, City officials can declare a Snow Emergency.

A Snow Emergency requires that vehicles be parked on the odd address side of the street when the date ends in an odd number and on the even address side of the street when the date ends on an even number. For example, on January 5th, you would park on the odd address side of the street. If the snow emergency carries into the next day, at 8 am your car should be moved to the even address side of the street.

Both the Police department and snow ticketing staff will issue parking tickets at the cost of $60 to vehicles that are parked on the wrong side of the street. It's safe to assume that if it's snowing the Odd/Even Parking is in effect.

Although the ordinance is typically only put into effect when 2 inches of snow has fallen or is expected, the City may declare an emergency in preparation of a snow or ice storm.

• If at all possible, please remove your vehicle from the street during a Snow Emergency Declaration
• If your street is marked as "No Parking" on one side of the street, the Snow Emergency Declaration allows you to park legally in the restricted area during the time that the Snow Emergency Declaration is in effect.
• The Odd/Even Parking is in effect so that plows can safely go down the streets. The next day when the parking changes, to the other side of the street, the plows may or may not return to clear the other side.
• Do not assume that you can move your car when the street is plowed. Your car must remain parked appropriately until after the Snow Emergency has been lifted.
• All vehicles must be moved to the correct side of the street at 8 am.

Residential Plowing & Salting

When 2 inches of snow or more is expected to accumulate on the pavement, the City's plowing contractor will be dispatched to clear residential streets. Due to the amount of lane mileage city-wide, this takes anywhere from 12 to 14 hours to complete. In order to progress through this operation in a systematic fashion, the City is divided into 24 residential routes consisting of 4 different sections in each route (A, B, C, and D sections) totaling 96 sections City-wide. To get this job done within this timeframe, 150 plow trucks are needed at a minimum, and 15 to 20 skid steers/tractors to handle cul de sacs and other problematic areas.

When a residential plowing operation is in progress, you can view completion in live time.

Contractors do not salt City streets. The Public Works fleet will apply road salt on residential streets when the plowing operation is complete and once all arterial roadways are cleared. If cars are parked on both sides of the street, your street may not get salted.

Citizen Responsibilities

Clearing sidewalks on property that border a public place, driveways, and alleys.

Per Rockford Code of Ordinances Section 26-9, it is unlawful to plow, push, blow, or otherwise deposit snow on public streets or places. This applies to but is not limited to, the depositing of snow removed from sidewalks and/or driveways.

Mailboxes

• The goal of the Street Maintenance Department is to clear the streets for travel. No matter how hard we try, it is not possible to provide perfect conditions for your mail carrier. Final clearing adjacent to mailboxes is the responsibility of each resident.
• If your mailbox gets damaged by a snowplow, please call the Street Division at 779-348-7260. A temporary mailbox will be placed until the ground thaws in the spring at which point, a permanent wooden post and new mailbox will be installed as a replacement.
• Here's a past postcard we received from the postmaster regarding clearance to mailboxes: