Snow Removal

River Falls snow removal equipment is comprised of five large trucks equipped with front and wing plows and pre-wet chemical spreaders. Trucks are also equipped with a belly plow which is underneath the truck and helps remove compacted snow and ice. Three pickup trucks are used to plow smaller areas such as trails and alleyways. The City also utilizes a grader, a pay loader with front plow and side wing, as well as a tractor with front mounted plow to aid with snow removal. The grader windrows the snow in the downtown area and then the pay loader with front mounted snow blower disposes the snow in a large dump truck. After completing the downtown, the grader also assists with residential road plowing. The loader with the front plow and wing along with the tractor, plow residential cul-de-sacs and dead-end roads, so the plow truck can concentrate on through roads where they are more efficient.

When weather conditions permit, the City applies an anti-icing solution prior to snow events to prevent snow and ice from bonding to the pavement, which allows for easier removal. The City strives to minimize its salt usage for environmental reasons by using the least almost of salt necessary to maintain safe, ice-free surfaces on main routes. The City does not have a bare pavement policy, meaning it uses a rating system of 1-4 so that pavement conditions are maintained on a priority level with a 1 being a main corridor. Priority level 4 surfaces are lighter used neighborhood streets such as cul-de-sacs.

Please refer to the following resources for additional information:

Some additional information related to Winter Maintenance include:

Winter Parking Restrictions

To assist in snow removal efforts, the City also utilizes alternate night (odd-even) parking restrictions from November 1 to March 31. See our Winter Parking Restrictions page for more information.

Sidewalk Snow Removal

The owner / occupant of any lot or parcel shall have the snow and ice removed within 24 hours after the snowfall ceases. If the owner / occupant fails to comply with this requirement, the city shall remove the snow and ice and charge the property owner. The cost for the city to remove the snow and/or ice shall be billed according to the city's current fee schedule. Failure to pay for these services will result in the costs being placed on the annual tax roll for that property.

Note: Only one notice will be sent to the property owner per snow season regarding clearing of sidewalks. After the first notice, the city will clear sidewalks if they have not been done.

Forts, Tunnels & Other Snow Structures

During the winter snowplowing season, the River Falls Public Works Department asks for the cooperation of residents to not allow forts, tunnels, etc. to be constructed along street boulevards or right of ways. Snow plowing cleaning operations could cause the collapsing of such structures. Please do not deposit snow from private property, driveways, or parking lots onto the street or other private property. Doing so may violate Section 12.04.030 of the City's Municipal Code regarding Snow and Ice Removal.

If you have any questions, please contact us using the information found at the top right of this page.