Snow Removal • Bismarck, ND
Snow Removal in Bismarck, ND for Driveways, Sidewalks and Lots
Bismarck Landscape offers snow removal in Bismarck, ND for home driveways, sidewalks and small business lots across Bismarck, Mandan and Lincoln. We clear to the City of Bismarck’s rules: sidewalks done within 24 hours of the snow, and no snow pushed into the street. We also clear like landscapers, so your shrubs, trees and lawn are still in good shape when the snow melts in spring.
Bismarck averages about 50 inches of snow a year, and snow can start as early as October. Call Bismarck Landscape to get on the route before the first storm.
What’s Included
Our Snow Removal Services in Bismarck
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01
Driveway and Sidewalk Clearing
We clear driveways, front walks, public sidewalks and steps with snow blowers and shovels. Corner lots include the crosswalk ramps, since the city counts those as part of your sidewalk. The snow goes on your own yard, in spots we pick so it doesn’t bury shrubs or slide back onto the drive.
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Ice Melt and Traction
After clearing, we treat walks, steps and slick spots with ice melt picked for the temperature. On the coldest nights, when rock salt stops working, we switch products or add sand for grip. We keep treated snow away from planting beds and young trees.
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Small Business Lots and Walkways
We clear parking areas, entrances and walkways for small businesses, rentals and multi-unit buildings. The city’s rule against pushing snow into the street applies to contractors and businesses too, so we plan pile spots before the season starts. We also clear around dumpsters, since waste trucks need them movable at least 7 feet.
Also see our commercial landscaping and snow services and snow contracts for HOAs and property managers.
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Per-Visit Service or a Season Plan
You can call us when you need us, or set up a season plan so we show up on our own after each snowfall. Season plans usually set a trigger depth, which is how many inches of snow bring us out.
Explore all landscaping services in Bismarck.
Bismarck Winter Weather
How Much Snow Does Bismarck Get?
Bismarck gets about 50.5 inches of snow in an average year, based on NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 normals for the Bismarck airport. The snowiest winter on record was 1996 to 1997, with 101.6 inches.
| Month | Average snowfall |
|---|---|
| October | 2.5 inches |
| November | 8.0 inches |
| December | 10.1 inches |
| January | 8.9 inches |
| February | 7.5 inches |
| March | 8.5 inches |
| April | 4.6 inches |
Two things surprise people who are new to Bismarck. March is one of the snowiest months of the year. And in the coldest months, snow often doesn’t melt between storms, since January lows average about 2°F. Snow that isn’t cleared right away can pack down into ice and stay for weeks.
Local Snow Rules
Bismarck Snow Rules Every Property Owner Should Know
These rules come from the City of Bismarck snow removal page and the city’s snow removal FAQ.
| Rule | What the City of Bismarck requires |
|---|---|
| Sidewalks | Clear all snow and ice within 24 hours after the snow stops. Corner lots include the crosswalk areas. |
| If you don’t | The city can clear it and bill the property owner |
| Driveway snow | Don’t push it into the street or across the street onto the boulevard. Fines can reach $1,000. |
| Who it applies to | Homeowners, tenants, businesses and snow contractors |
| Mailboxes | Clear the snow around your mailbox. Neighbors share the job on cluster boxes. |
| Fire hydrants | Clear 6 inches below all caps and 3 to 4 feet around the hydrant |
| Dumpsters | Clear in front and around them so they can be moved at least 7 feet |
| Downtown parking | No parking on downtown streets from 1 a.m. to 7 a.m., November 1 to March 31 |
| Snow emergency routes | During a declared snow emergency, cars parked on these routes can be towed |
For a full walk-through of winter rules, read our Bismarck snow rules guide.
Why Is There a Ridge of Snow at the End of My Driveway?
That ridge is called a windrow. City plows leave it behind as they clear the street, and the city FAQ says it’s normal and allowed. It’s still your job to clear it, and you can’t push it back into the street.
Here’s how the city plows, in order:
- Snow emergency routes, once 2 inches fall
- School routes, at 3 inches
- Major streets, at 3 inches
- Residential and downtown streets, at 4 inches
The city aims to have main and residential streets safe to drive 18 to 36 hours after the snow stops. That means the windrow often shows up after you’ve already cleared the driveway. On a season plan, we come back for it.
Snow Rules in Mandan and Lincoln
Mandan’s rules also give you 24 hours to clear sidewalks. Mandan doesn’t allow snow on paved streets, alleys or sidewalks, or within 5 feet of a fire hydrant. One difference from Bismarck: Mandan allows snow on the unpaved boulevard strip in the public right-of-way. In Lincoln, check the city’s current rules before you pile snow near the street.
See our Mandan snow rules for local service details.
Snow Removal Pricing
How Much Does Snow Removal Cost in Bismarck?
Snow removal for a home driveway in Bismarck usually costs about $40 to $100 per visit, depending on driveway size. Published local cost guides break it down like this:
| Driveway size | Typical price per visit |
|---|---|
| Single car, 12 × 30 ft | About $40 to $50 |
| Single car, 12 × 60 ft | About $60 to $70 |
| Two car, 24 × 30 ft | About $60 to $70 |
| Two car, 24 × 40 ft | About $70 to $80 |
| Two car, 24 × 60 ft | About $80 to $100 |
Snow blowing by the hour runs about $50 to $75. A 2026 cost guide for Bismarck puts snow removal jobs anywhere from about $49 to $411, with long, steep or gravel driveways at the top of the range. These are market estimates, not quotes.
What Changes the Price of Snow Removal?
- Driveway size and shape, including curves, slopes and turnarounds
- Surface, since gravel takes more care than concrete
- Snow depth, because a 10-inch storm takes far longer than 3 inches
- Sidewalks and walks, especially corner lots with long public walks
- Ice melt, which is often a separate charge
- Season plan or per visit, since plans spread the cost over the winter
- Pile space, since tight lots may need snow moved farther
For other yard work prices, see how much landscaping costs in Bismarck.
Choose Your Snow Service
Per-Visit or Season Plan: Which Is Better?
It depends on how often you’re home, how steep your driveway is and how you like to budget.
| Per-visit service | Season plan | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | You call after a snowfall | We come on our own once snow hits the trigger depth |
| Cost | Pay only for the visits you use | Set price for the season or per push at a set rate |
| Response | Depends on who called first | You’re already on the route |
| Best for | Mild winters, people home to shovel, light-snow years | Busy families, seniors, rentals, businesses, anyone away in winter |
| Sidewalk rule | You watch the 24-hour clock | We plan the route around it |
In a snowy winter, a season plan often works out cheaper per visit. In a light one, per-visit service can cost less. Many people who travel in winter pick a plan so the 24-hour rule is covered while they’re gone.
Protect Your Landscape
How We Protect Your Yard While We Clear Snow
This is where a landscaping company clears snow differently. Snow piles and salt do real damage that doesn’t show until spring.
- We place piles on purpose. Big piles sit on your lawn longest. Gray snow mold gets worse under snow that lasts more than about 90 days, so we spread piles out instead of stacking one mountain in the same spot every storm.
- We keep salty snow off plants. Iowa State University Extension warns that salt in the soil keeps roots from taking up water, which shows up as scorched leaf edges, twig dieback and brown evergreen needles. We don’t pile treated snow on beds, shrubs or young trees.
- We use the least salt that works. Clearing first and treating second means less salt ends up in your soil.
- We mark edges before the ground freezes. Driveway stakes keep blowers and plows off the lawn, curbs and sprinkler heads.
- We watch the trees. NDSU’s Extension forester advises care with ice melt around trees. Heavy, wet snow piled on young trees and shrubs can also snap branches.
In spring, water heavily where salty snow sat all winter to flush the salt down past the roots. If lawn edges along the sidewalk die back every year, reseed with fine fescue, which handles salt better than Kentucky bluegrass. Our lawn care in Bismarck page covers spring repair for snow mold and vole damage.
Winter Traction
Which Ice Melt Works Best in a Bismarck Winter?
Rock salt stops working well below about 15°F, and Bismarck spends a lot of winter colder than that. Iowa State University Extension lists these working ranges:
| Ice melt | Works down to about | Effect on plants |
|---|---|---|
| Rock salt (sodium chloride) | 15°F | Most harmful to plants; cheapest |
| Calcium chloride | -20°F | Works in deep cold; hard on concrete and metal |
| Magnesium chloride | -13°F | Less harmful to plants than rock salt |
| Calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) | -15°F | Little or no plant damage, but costs far more |
| Sand | Doesn’t melt ice | Adds grip; safe for plants |
On a Bismarck January night, rock salt alone often won’t do the job. For steps and walks next to beds, a plant-friendlier product or sand is the better choice. Whatever you use, shovel first and use only as much as you need.
Before the First Storm
Get Ready Before the First Snow
October averages 2.5 inches of snow in Bismarck, so get these done in early fall:
- Blow out your sprinklers before the first hard freeze. See when to blow out your sprinklers in Bismarck.
- Put in driveway stakes along edges, curbs and sprinkler heads before the ground freezes.
- Wrap young trees and shrubs near the driveway where snow gets piled.
- Pick your pile spots, away from beds, trees and the street.
- Stock the right ice melt for below-zero nights.
- Sign up for a season plan early, since routes fill before the first storm.
Our fall yard checklist for Bismarck covers the rest of your winter prep.
For seasonal jobs, see our fall and spring yard cleanup and the Bismarck yard care calendar.
Service Areas
Snow Removal Across Bismarck, Mandan and Lincoln
See our Bismarck service area page for the neighborhoods and ZIP codes we cover.
Bismarck
North Bismarck
(Heritage Ridge, Silver Ranch, Boulder Ridge, Northridge): newer homes, wide driveways and open lots next to prairie, where wind can drift snow back onto a cleared drive. A quick return trip helps here.
Bismarck
Central Bismarck
(Cathedral Area, Highland Acres, Washington Heights): older blocks with long public sidewalks, corner lots, alleys and mature boulevard trees. Pile space is tight, so placement matters.
Bismarck
Downtown:
watch the 1 a.m. to 7 a.m. parking ban from November 1 to March 31.
Bismarck
South Bismarck
(Fox Island, Southport, Riverwood): lower ground near the Missouri River. Drainage matters here, so we keep piles away from the house.
Nearby communities
Mandan and Lincoln:
same winter, slightly different rules. Mandan allows snow on the unpaved boulevard, and Bismarck does not. Explore Lincoln service options and rural driveways near Bismarck.
Questions
Bismarck Snow Removal FAQ
Answers to common snow removal questions in Bismarck.
Have a question that isn’t here?
Visit our Snow and Winter FAQ for more details about local winter care.
How long do I have to clear my sidewalk in Bismarck?
24 hours after the snow stops. The City of Bismarck requires owners or tenants to clear all snow and ice from their sidewalk, including the crosswalk area on corner lots. If you don’t, the city can clear it and bill you.
Can I blow my driveway snow into the street?
No. Bismarck doesn’t allow driveway or sidewalk snow to be pushed or blown into the street or across the street onto the boulevard. Fines can reach $1,000, and the rule applies to snow contractors too.
When does snow season start in Bismarck?
Snow can start in October, which averages 2.5 inches in Bismarck. The heaviest months are November through March, and April still averages 4.6 inches.
Will the city clear the snow the plow leaves at my driveway?
No. The ridge of snow a city plow leaves at your driveway, called a windrow, is normal and allowed. Clearing it is up to you, and you can’t push it back into the street.
Does ice melt hurt my lawn and shrubs?
It can. Salt that builds up in the soil keeps roots from taking up water, which leads to scorched leaves, twig dieback and brown evergreen needles. Shovel first, use less salt, keep salty snow off beds and water those areas heavily in spring.
Do I have to clear snow around my mailbox and fire hydrant?
Yes. The City of Bismarck asks homeowners to clear around their mailbox and to clear hydrants 6 inches below all caps and 3 to 4 feet around them, so firefighters can reach them fast.
Do you offer snow removal in Mandan and Lincoln?
Yes. We serve Bismarck, Mandan and Lincoln. Mandan also gives you 24 hours to clear sidewalks, but unlike Bismarck, it allows snow on the unpaved boulevard strip.
Bismarck Landscape
Line Up Your Snow Removal Before the First Storm
Routes fill up fast once the first big snow is in the forecast. Tell us about your driveway, sidewalks and where snow can go, and we’ll give you a clear price for per-visit service or a season plan.
Call Bismarck Landscape. You can also see our other contact options or read more answers in our FAQ.