Recent service
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See when nearby roads, sidewalks, and cycling routes were most recently plowed or salted during active operations.
Open PlowTOToronto, ON winter guide
Toronto snow plow and parking guide.
Toronto starts with expressways and major roads, then moves through collectors and local streets. PlowTO shows recent service on roads, sidewalks, and cycling routes, while 311 handles eligible concerns after the published service window.
Reviewed September 1, 2026City of Toronto Transportation Services
LOCAL ROAD TRIGGER8 cm
LOCAL ROAD TARGET14 hours
PLOWTO HISTORYPast 24 hours
Start with the official answer
Three useful ways to check Toronto
These links go directly to the city tools residents need during a storm.
Service standard
Check your road type
Compare expressway, arterial, collector, and local-road triggers and completion targets.
Read Toronto service levelsResident request
Use 311 after the wait
Create a tracked request for an eligible road, sidewalk, bus stop, or windrow issue after the applicable window.
Open 311 TorontoHow the response unfolds
What happens before your street is finished
Toronto follows a local sequence. Knowing the phase explains why one road can be clear while another is still waiting.
- 1First response
Expressways and major roads
Expressways begin plowing at 2.5 centimetres. Major roads, transit routes, and hills begin at five centimetres.
- 2Next routes
Collectors and local streets
Collectors and local roads begin at eight centimetres. Local streets are cleared to a safe and passable standard, not necessarily bare pavement.
- 3Follow-up work
Sidewalks, windrows, and removal
Sidewalk equipment starts at two centimetres. Eligible driveway openings and snow removal after a major storm follow the road operation.
Before leaving the car
Toronto parking rules that matter
- Check the current Major Snow Storm Condition and temporary signs before leaving a vehicle on a snow route.
- Snow routes are cleared and may be used for snow removal before ordinary streets.
- A permit does not guarantee that a vehicle can remain where active snow-removal signs prohibit parking.
Resident checklist
What to do during the storm
- 1
Search the address in PlowTO and note whether the record is plowing or salting.
- 2
Identify whether the street is an expressway, arterial, collector, local road, or private road.
- 3
Keep snow from private property off city roads, sidewalks, cycling routes, and laneways.
- 4
Wait at least 72 hours after the storm for many sidewalk, bus-stop, and general snow-clearing requests.
Service boundaries
Who clears what in Toronto
The city plow department is not responsible for every road, sidewalk, driveway, alley, or parking area.
Toronto Transportation Services
Maintains city roads, sidewalks, bikeways, bus stops, and eligible driveway windrow openings under published standards.
Province and private owners
Provincial facilities, private roads, parking lots, driveways, and private walkways can have a different owner or contractor.
Residents and businesses
Keep private access clear, follow posted parking restrictions, and never move private snow onto city property.
If the street looks missed
Check the road class and service window first
PlowTO records activity, not completion. Ongoing snow can require repeat rounds, and many 311 snow requests ask residents to wait 72 hours after a storm.
- 1Search the location in PlowTO.
- 2Compare the road or sidewalk with Toronto's published service level.
- 3Use 311 Toronto when that window has passed and include the exact address.
Local questions answered
Toronto snow plow FAQ
Short answers for the questions residents usually have during an active storm.
Does a PlowTO mark mean the road is bare?
No. It shows recent equipment activity. Local roads are maintained to a safe and passable standard and can retain snowpack.
When does Toronto plow a residential street?
Local-road plowing begins at eight centimetres of accumulation, with a published operating time of up to 14 hours for each round.
Who clears driveway windrows?
Toronto clears eligible residential driveway openings after street plowing. Eligibility and timing vary, and snow from a private driveway remains the owner's responsibility.
Verify the answer
Official Toronto sources
Storm conditions and emergency rules change. These are the public-agency pages used for this guide.
More official guides