Frequently Asked Questions

Primary routes are plowed whenever there is snow accumulation. Residential streets are considered for plowing when traffic flow is significantly reduced. If the City starts a full residential plow, we will post on Facebook and Twitter and send an email to interested citizens. You can sign up to receive snow information. 

Primary plowing routes include arterials, hillsides and critical intersections.

Residential routes are the streets on the valley floor in residential areas.

The City of Spokane Valley has areas that are not plowed by the City. Trent Avenue (SR 290) and Highway 27 are plowed by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). For more information call WSDOT at 509-324-6000.

Privately owned roads within the City limits are not plowed by the City. To find out if you live on a privately owned road, check out our snow map.

Plow drivers in Spokane Valley don't lift plow blades at driveways because:

• Lifting plow blades isn't always effective to avoid leaving berms.
• Lifting the blade at each intersection would create a berm in the travel lanes, creating a safety issue for drivers.
• Lifting the plow blade at each driveway in the city would significantly delay completion of plowing.
• The additional time needed to complete plowing would increase the costs, placing more financial burden on taxpayers.

Gates are most useful in residential areas to avoid leaving berms across driveways. Currently, the City of Spokane Valley utilizes contracted graders to plow residential areas within the City. Since the City does not own the graders, implementing the use of gates would require contractors to purchase additional equipment. At this time the companies that the City contracts with do not own graders with gates. 

The use of gates increases the time to be able to complete plowing since the grader has to operate at a lower rate of speed to be effective.

The City is observing the use of gates in our neighboring cities and will continue to evaluate the usefulness of this piece of equipment.

48 hours after the end of the snow event, which may include snow deposited by plows from the roadway.

No, depositing snow/ice in a manner which obstructs or creates an obstruction to traffic constitutes a misdemeanor.

Accumulation of snow/ice exceeding 3 inches.

After a citation is issued, you have 48 hours to clear snow/ice before an additional citation may be issued.

• First and second citation: $52 each
• Third plus citation in 12 months: $103 each

The money goes to the Street Fund, which pays for road repairs. 

Unfortunately, the city does not have available resources to assist residents who need help with snow removal either on sidewalks or driveways. Residents are encouraged to reach out to area churches or service clubs for assistance.

In addition, there are companies that specialize in snow removal. Many local landscaping companies offer such services for residential customers. The Better Business Bureau has a list of companies that may offer services for snow removal.

You could still receive a warning notice or citation. However, there is a defense of violation process.

It shall serve as a defense to a violation of the sidewalk ordinance if all of the following are met:

• The subject property is occupied as a residence, regardless of zoning designation
• The violator is 65 years or older, or possesses a physical disability that has been verified by a medical doctor which prevents them from removing accumulations of snow and ice from the sidewalk and
• The violator can provide documentation that shows reasonable efforts to obtain snow removal services were made but were unsuccessful

Gates are most useful in residential areas to avoid leaving berms across driveways. Currently, the City of Spokane Valley utilizes contracted graders to plow residential areas within the City. Since the City does not own the graders, implementing the use of gates would require contractors to purchase additional equipment. At this time the companies that the City contracts with do not own graders with gates. 

The use of gates increases the time to be able to complete plowing since the grader has to operate at a lower rate of speed to be effective.

The City is observing the use of gates in our neighboring cities and will continue to evaluate the usefulness of this piece of equipment.