Snow Removal in Arlington County : Environmental Services : Arlington, Virginia

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Snow Removal in Arlington County

The County is spreading salt and brine this afternoon, in preparation for snow this evening. Residents should drive with caution and watch for icy patches, especially on slopes. (Updated Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 12 p.m.)

View the Arlington County snow plowing map. Primary routes (red) are cleared first. VDOT roads (VDOT map) are cleared by VDOT. To contact VDOT, call (703) 383-8368.

View current road conditions in our live traffic camera center.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation in our efforts to provide the best snow removal services to our communities.

Priority Snow Removal

During Snowfall: Snow crews concentrate only on keeping main arteries passable for emergency vehicles and public transportation (red primary routes). This includes snow emergency routes, arterial streets, main bus routes, and roads to hospitals, fire stations, Metro stations, and the police station. Plowing generally begins when snow becomes two to four inches deep. When accumulation is less than 2 inches, roadways are only treated.
After Snowfall: Snow crews concentrate on clearing snow from all streets for general public use as promptly as possible. Neighborhood streets are cleared last. After a severe snowstorm (greater than 10 inches), it may take 36-48 hours after the snow stops falling before County plows can start clearing residential streets.

Snow Plowing Status

	Arlington County	Resident Responsibility
Phase 1: Alert	A winter weather storm has been forecasted for the region. Snow crews are on alert and treating roads where necessary.	Be prepared. Have at least a 3-day supply of food and water. Plan to stay informed. Your neighbors may need your help! Register through Volunteer Arlington or contact your civic association. Move parked cars off of streets if possible, or coordinate with your neighbors and/or civic association to move cars to one side of the street only. Snow removal vehicles need at least 15-feet to pass down a street.
Phase 2: Primary Routes	A winter weather storm is in effect. Snow crews are treating and plowing primary (red) and secondary (blue) arterials only while snow continues to fall. VDOT is treating and plowing VDOT roads. Roads may only be passable with one lane in each direction. Roads may be icy and have accumulations of 2-4 inches or greater. Residential streets are snow covered.	Do not drive unless necessary so roads will be open for emergency and snow removal vehicles. Help your neighbors clean the sidewalk on the same side of the street as parked cars to increase pedestrian safety. Keep snow cleared from fire hydrants, storm drains and downspouts on your home.
Phase 3: Residential Streets	Snow crews are treating and plowing residential streets. Residential streets may only be passable with one lane. Primary (red) and secondary (blue) arterial roads are being widened to the shoulder.	Use our snow issue form to report any snow removal problems. Help your neighbors clean the sidewalks. Snow Removal Ordinance enforcement begins 24 hours after the snow stops falling. Driveways and entrances are also the resident's responsibility. Shovel snow into the yard instead of the street to keep snow removal vehicles from recovering the driveway entrance. Commercial parking lots and sidewalks are the owner's responsibility.
Phase 4: Clean Up	Snow crews are currently working on clean up operations. Ice and slush is being removed off of roads after treatment and sun has been allowed to work. County staff will work to remove snow from schools and county property.	Use our snow issue form to report any snow removal problems.

Reporting Snow Removal Issues

To report snow issues, please fill out our online "Report a Snow Issue" form 24 hours after the snow has stopped falling.

For snow service updates, call (703) 228-6485 (TDD during business hours is 703-228-4611). During minor storms there is no recorded message and the phone line is answered directly.

Has it been at least 48 hours since you reported a snow issue and still have questions about snow removal on your street? "Like" Arlington County Environmental Services on Facebook or follow @ArlingtonDES on Twitter and send us a message. We'll respond back as soon as possible with an update.

Emergency

Call the Police and Fire Departments at 9-1-1 (voice and TDD) in life-threatening emergencies and for fire/rescue service. Rarely is an emergency solved by out-of-sequence plowing; emergency vehicles are equipped to reach an emergency call more quickly than a street can be plowed.