Table of contents
Property managers running multi-tenant commercial sites in DuPage know the snow phone calls. The 6 a.m. tenant complaint that the lot wasn't plowed by 7. The HOA board email asking why the salt is in piles instead of spread. The slip-and-fall claim that surfaces three weeks after the storm.
This guide is the contract you wish your last vendor had signed. Three service levels, what each one means in practice, and the language that holds the crew to it.
Level 1: Standard Plow
The default tier. Triggered at 2 inches accumulation. Crew arrives within 4 hours of the trigger. Plows once, salts the lot perimeter, and leaves.
Most DuPage commercial sites buy this and complain about it for the rest of the winter. The complaint is fair — Level 1 is built for residential driveways, not commercial properties with tenant traffic.
Spec
Where it should land
Trigger depth
2 inches accumulation
Response window
4 hours from trigger
Plow passes
1 (post-storm only)
Salt
Perimeter only, walks not included
Per-event cost
$180–$320 for a 0.5-acre lot
Best for
Single-tenant retail, low-traffic small sites
Where Level 1 fails
A multi-tenant medical office gets traffic at 6 a.m., 7, 8, and through the day. By 7 a.m. the lot is half-plowed and half-trampled snow. Level 1 is built around the storm, not around your tenants' arrival schedule.
Level 2: Multi-Pass Plow + Walks
Triggered at 1 inch accumulation. Crew arrives within 2 hours. Plows up to three passes during the storm, salts the perimeter and the main aisles, and clears walks (front entry, side entrances, ADA ramps, tenant doors).
This is the right tier for most DuPage commercial sites with tenant turnover before 8 a.m. — medical offices, multi-tenant retail strips, and HOA common-areas with foot traffic.
Spec
Where it should land
Trigger depth
1 inch accumulation
Response window
2 hours from trigger
Plow passes
Up to 3 during the storm + 1 post-storm cleanup
Salt
Lot + walks; full re-application post-storm
Walks cleared
All entries, ADA ramps, tenant doors (1.5–2.5 inches per pass)
Per-event cost
$420–$780 for a 0.5-acre lot
Best for
Multi-tenant offices, medical, retail with morning traffic
What's not in Level 2
Level 2 doesn't include freezing-rain de-icing if the temperature stays above 32°F (no plowable accumulation but real ice forms). Add the de-icing rider; we'll get to that under Level 3.
Level 3: Full-Service Premium
Triggered at any precipitation event (snow, sleet, freezing rain, mixed). Crew is on-site at the trigger and remains on-site for storm duration. Continuous plowing, walks cleared every 60 minutes during active snow, full salt program, and freezing-rain pre-treatment.
This is the right tier for medical campuses, hospitality (hotels), and any property where a slip-and-fall claim costs more than a season of premium service. We've serviced two Naperville medical sites at this tier for 15 years and never logged a winter slip claim against either property.
Spec
Where it should land
Trigger
Any precipitation event
Response
On-site at trigger; remains for storm duration
Plow passes
Continuous — 60-minute cycle minimum
Salt
Full lot + walks; pre-treatment for forecast events
Walks cleared
Every 60 minutes during active snow
Per-event cost
$1,200–$2,400 for a 0.5-acre lot, depending on storm duration
Best for
Medical, hospitality, slip-and-fall-sensitive sites
[!tip] Premium service is priced per-event, not per-inch. Budget on a 25-event winter (DuPage average); a small mediation event still costs full-event price because the crew is on-site.
Contract language that protects you
Whatever level you buy, the contract should specify five things. We've seen vendors weasel out of every one when the language is vague.
Trigger depth in inches, measured at the site
"Plow on accumulation of 2 inches measured at [property address]" — not "plow on accumulation" or "plow as needed." Vendors who control the trigger control the bill.
Response window in hours, with a clock-start definition
"Crew on-site within 2 hours of trigger; trigger clock starts at the time the depth is met at the site, not at the time of vendor's site arrival decision." Without this, the response clock starts when the vendor decides to leave the yard.
Salt volume, in pounds per acre, per application
"100 lb/acre per salting pass; full re-application post-storm." Salt is the line item vendors pad. Pounds-per-acre puts a number on it.
Documentation: time-stamped photos, every pass
"Crew photographs lot before and after each plow pass; photos uploaded to [shared folder] within 30 minutes of pass." This is the single most important clause. Photo logs end disputes before they start.
Slip-and-fall response within 24 hours of report
"On notification of slip incident, crew returns to property within 24 hours to inspect, photograph, and re-treat affected area." The first 24 hours are the window where the vendor's response either supports your insurance defense or does not.
How to score a snow vendor bid
Walk the bid through this checklist:
- Trigger depth named in inches (not "as needed").
- Response window in hours, with clock-start definition.
- Pre-treatment included for forecast events.
- Walks cleared at the same level as the lot.
- Photo documentation specified, with upload destination.
- Slip-and-fall response window in writing.
- Per-event cost — not per-inch (per-inch incentivizes the vendor to bury you in salt).
- Cancellation clause for missed events (3 strikes / out is industry standard).
If the bid carries fewer than six of the eight, you're looking at a vendor that wants flexibility you'll regret in February.
What we ship in our PM contracts
Every Sunset Services PM contract includes the eight items above as standard language. We're happy to send a sample contract — most PMs find it useful to compare against the contract they have. Email us, or request a free site walk and we'll come measure the lot in person.
