Front Range winters do not arrive on a schedule, and a storm is a bad time to be deciding who clears what. The work that keeps a property open in January is mostly decided in September.
Decide clearing priorities before the season
Every property has an order of operations. Write it down so a crew arriving at 4am does not have to interpret it:
- Primary entries, ADA access routes and adjacent walks
- Fire lanes and emergency access
- Main drive lanes in and out of the site
- Parking rows, in the order tenants actually use them
- Loading areas, trash enclosure access and secondary entries
Agree on trigger depth and return visits
The two questions that cause the most winter friction are when service starts and whether the crew comes back. Settle the trigger depth, whether service runs during a storm or after it, and how post-storm return visits are handled and billed.
Plan snow storage now
Pushed snow has to go somewhere that will not block sight lines, bury parking you need, or drain across a walkway and refreeze overnight. Identify the piles in advance, and keep them away from entries and downslope of pedestrian routes.
Ice control is the real liability
In Colorado, freeze-thaw cycles matter more than snowfall totals. A sunny afternoon melts, the temperature drops, and a clear walk becomes a sheet of ice at opening. Ice control application, timing and reapplication belong in the scope, not in an emergency phone call.
Protect what comes inside
De-icer and sand track straight into your entries and eat floor finish. Before the first storm, get matting in place at every entry, plan for more frequent entry-floor attention through the winter, and schedule the interior floor work that will be needed once melt season ends.
Exterior items to close out before it freezes
- Leaf and debris cleanup so drains and gutters run clear
- Final grounds cutback and site policing
- Pressure washing of entries, walks and dumpster pads while temperatures allow
- Exterior touch-up painting before it is too cold to cure
Know who to call
Snow and ice service can be contracted on its own or added to an existing maintenance agreement. Either way, the useful thing at 5am is one number that reaches someone who knows your property and your priority list.