Snow removal contracts signed before the first flake

Terms every snow contract needs

• ✓Season start and end dates, and what happens to snow outside them.
• ✓Trigger depth for plowing and for walks, which may differ.
• ✓Response window after snowfall stops, and priority order if you serve businesses first.
• ✓Who is responsible for marking edges, curbs and landscape beds with stakes.
• ✓Damage to lawns, pavers and mailboxes hidden under snow, and how claims are handled.
• ✓Ice: whether salting is included, and that it reduces but does not remove slip risk.

Seasonal, per push or per event

Last winter it barely snowed and the seasonal customers felt cheated. The winter before, you lost money on every one of them.

Seasonal contracts smooth your income and your customers' bills, and the risk of a heavy winter sits with you. Per-push pricing is fair in both directions but makes revenue unpredictable. A capped seasonal price, with per-push charges after a set number of visits, splits the difference.

Write the model you are selling into the contract in plain words. Customers who understand what they bought do not argue in March.

Snow contract mistakes that cost operators

• Selling too late Contracts signed after the first storm leave no time to plan crews and routes.
• No trigger depth Every call at a dusting turns into a dispute about whether a visit was owed.
• Salt as an unlimited freebie Ice melt is a real cost per storm. Price it or cap it.
• Unmarked edges Plowing up a lawn or a paver border is a spring repair bill. Stake before the season.
• Payment timing left vague Say when invoices go out: in full up front, split in two, or after each visit.

Storm nights

Signed customers stay in your client list with their contract, so on a storm night you can see who is seasonal and who is per push. Put crews and trucks on the schedule; plow drivers see their addresses, not what each customer pays. Scopie does not plan routes, so build the run order the way you already do. Invoices go out by email as links when you bill.

Snow removal contract questions

Should I sell snow removal per push or as a seasonal contract?

Both are common. A seasonal price gives you steady revenue and the customer a fixed cost whether the winter is mild or brutal; per-push pricing tracks the actual snowfall. Many operators offer both and let the customer choose. Whichever you use, write the trigger depth, the season dates and what counts as a visit.

What is a trigger depth?

The amount of snow that has to fall before you come out, often a couple of inches for driveways. Put it on the contract so a customer does not call at half an inch expecting a plow.

Can Scopie bill a seasonal contract in monthly installments automatically?

Not yet. Scopie has no recurring billing today. You can quote the season as one contract and create the invoices you agree on, such as one in November and one in January, and email each invoice link.

How do I offer roof raking or salting as extras?

Add them to the contract as optional lines. The customer ticks the extras they want when they open it, and the season total updates before they sign.