Snow removal contract template
Build your contract
Fill this in and print it, or save it as a PDF. Nothing is uploaded — it all stays in your browser.
Between
Customer name
Scope of work
Describe exactly what is included — and what is not.
Price and payment
Total: $0.00
Deposit (50%): $0.00 before work begins
Balance: $0.00 on completion
Terms
Payment
A deposit is due before work begins. The balance is due on completion. Invoices unpaid after 14 days may carry a late fee of 1.5% per month.
Changes to the work
Anything outside the scope above is a change order, priced and agreed in writing before that work starts. Verbal changes are not binding on either of us.
Access
The client agrees to provide access to the property, water and power where needed, on the agreed dates. If we cannot access the site on a scheduled day, a return visit may be charged.
Weather and delays
Work may be rescheduled for weather or conditions that make it unsafe or would affect quality. We will give as much notice as we can. Neither party is liable for delays outside their control.
Existing condition
We are not responsible for pre-existing damage or for defects revealed by the work. Where we find something unexpected, we will stop and tell you before continuing.
Insurance
The contractor carries liability insurance and will provide a certificate on request.
Cancellation
Either party may cancel in writing before work begins. Deposits cover materials already ordered and scheduling held for you, and may be non-refundable to that extent.
This is a starting point written for small home service work, not legal advice. Contract law varies by state, and some states require specific notices, licence numbers or cancellation language on residential contracts. Have a local attorney read it once before you use it for everything.
The four numbers that must be in writing
Snow removal has more genuinely contentious variables than any other seasonal trade, and all of them are avoidable with four lines in the scope:
Trigger depth. “Service is triggered automatically at 2 inches of accumulation.” Below that you do not come and they do not pay.
Service window. “Cleared within 4 hours of snowfall ending.” Not “promptly”.
Surfaces. Drive lanes, parking stalls, walkways, entrances, stairs. Name them. A client who assumed the sidewalk was included and finds it was not is a client who also has a slip-and-fall claim.
Salt and de-icer. Included per application, or billed separately by weight. This is the single most common surprise on a winter invoice.
Continuous storms
Write down what happens in a 36-hour event. Most contracts either start service after snowfall ends, or treat accumulation past a stated depth as a second billable service. Whichever you choose, choose it in October rather than at 4am in January.
Liability is the real product
For commercial lots, what your client is buying is not clear tarmac — it is reduced exposure. Say plainly what you clear, when, and that you are not responsible for refreeze between scheduled visits, while the property owner retains responsibility for monitoring conditions.
Then photograph every single service, with a timestamp. That record is worth more than any clause when a claim arrives, and it is the reason most serious snow contractors run software rather than a whiteboard.
Seasonal versus per event
Both are legitimate; they just move the risk. Seasonal pricing is you taking the weather risk in exchange for predictable revenue. Per event is the client taking it. Say which one you are selling, in a sentence, so nobody feels tricked by a mild January.
Dispatching a whole route at 3am
The contract is the easy part. Dispatching thirty properties in the middle of the night, then proving you were at each one, is the part that needs a system.
Jobber at $49/mo handles seasonal recurring contracts and bulk-dispatches a route in a few taps. Housecall Pro adds route optimisation on its Max plan and the most structured photo reports of the three — which for a liability-driven trade is the feature that matters. QuoteIQ at $29.99/mo covers a small residential plough route.
Questions operators actually ask
What should a snow removal contract include?
The trigger depth, the service window after snowfall stops, exactly which surfaces are cleared, whether salt or de-icer is included, the pricing structure, and a clear liability and slip-and-fall clause. Trigger depth and service window are the two that end up in disputes.
What is a trigger depth and why does it matter?
The snowfall depth at which you automatically show up — commonly two inches for commercial and three for residential. Without one, every borderline snowfall becomes a phone argument about whether you should have come. With one, it is arithmetic.
Should I charge seasonal or per event?
Commercial lots usually go seasonal, billed monthly through winter, because the client wants budget certainty and you want revenue in a mild year. Residential driveways usually go per event. A light winter makes seasonal look expensive to the client and a heavy one makes it look expensive to you — say which you are selling and price the risk accordingly.
How do I handle slip-and-fall liability?
Insurance first, documentation second, contract language third. State what you clear and what you do not, that you are not responsible for refreeze between visits, and that the property owner remains responsible for monitoring conditions. Then photograph every service. A timestamped record is what actually defends a claim.
What if it snows for three days straight?
Define it. Most contracts specify service begins after snowfall ends, or that continuous events over a stated depth are billed as multiple services. Without that line, a 36-hour storm is one event to your client and three to you.