Boston Snow shovelling

[William Nohmor]

I own a property in Boston and wanted to know how landlords hire contractors for snow shovelling to comply with city ordinances.   Boston  requires the following:

DO:

• Remove snow, slush, and ice from sidewalks and curb ramps abutting your property within 3 hours of snowfall ending (or 3 hours from sunrise if snow falls overnight) as required by law. Violators will be fined (see fines below).
• Remove snow, slush, and ice from the full paved width of the sidewalk and curb ramp or a minimum path of 42 inches wide. Narrow paths encumber carriages and wheelchairs, and properly cleared pathways ensure flow and safety of pedestrian traffic.
• Remove ice to bare pavement or make as level as possible and treat with sand, sawdust or similar material.
• Please clear any snow that may be blocking a handicapped ramp, fire hydrant or catch basin.

DON'T:

• Shovel or plow snow into the street: Violators caught shoveling snow from private property into the street will be fined.
• Overexert while shoveling: Excessive strain from the cold and hard labor may cause heart attacks. Please help out elderly or vulnerable neighbors.
• Leave snow or ice on stairways or fire escapes. All common means of egress must be clear.

Im not sure how to price out the services so I can find a contractor.  I dont think it can be done per storm because some storms last a long time.  How much do you pay per service and how do you control how many service visits the contractor makes.

[Colleen F.]

Write a scope of work showing where you want shoveled and plowed. Put an actual picture of the area with labeling.  specify areas to store snow and arrows showing width.  Send it out to plowing contractors and they will give you probably a per trip price and a per application for salt/sand.  It is not apples to apples because different people have different ways they manage coming back but it will give you a comparison.   You have to have some range for the agreement and it is a good idea to understand how a contractor  normally works to see how it works for you.  However this isn't something you can/should  micromanage the number of trips/storm.   Call them if it's not sufficient and have them come back or do more sanding but in generally they should know.