Snow and Ice Control & Winter Parking Restrictions
Parking is Prohibited on any street, road, highway, public way, or public parking lot in the Town between 1:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. from November 15 - March 31.
The Town of Cedarburg has been providing snow and ice control services to our residents, in some form, for more than sixty years. The Town maintains only Town owned roads and not county or state roadways. The Town currently has five plow trucks with salters, two smaller trucks, and one loader with snow and ice control equipment attached to help clear town roads during the winter months. All Town trucks are orange. Snow accumulations in depths of two (2) inches or more will be plowed from the roadways. Snow accumulations of less than two (2) inches may be plowed if conditions warrant. When snow has fallen overnight, the routes will begin approximately 2:00 a.m. to be completed by or before 7:30 a.m. Salting of main roads and intersections will be done in conjunction with plowing when temperatures are at or >5°F. For a summary of Town snow/ice removal policy, click here. There are a number of things that our residents can or must do to help our crews complete their work as quickly as possible.
- Please do not park on the street during or immediately after a snowfall. The Town of Cedarburg code of ordinances prohibits parking on any Town road between 1:00am and 7:00am, between November 15 - March 31st. If the Town declares a snow emergency, parking on a Town road is prohibited until the emergency expires.
- The Town code also prohibits the pushing, throwing, blowing, or placement of snow from private property onto any Town roadway, or public area. The roadway is considered the paved portion and the shoulders of the road. Snow may be deposited beyond the shoulders on either side of the road.
- Please stay a safe distance behind the plow trucks. The drivers may make sudden stops or swerve suddenly to avoid an obstacle, such as a mailbox, or garbage can, and following to closely could result in an accident.
- Please place refuse containers out for collection as close to 7:00am of the collection day as possible, and keep the containers back, 5 to 10 feet, from the edge of the road if it is snowing or snow is predicted. This will minimize damage, or possible burial of the container during plowing operations.
If your mailbox is damaged by the plow or by snow thrown by the plow, please notify Town Hall, at (262) 377-4509, as soon as possible. The current policy is for the Town to reimburse the owner of a damaged mailbox up to $100 for repair with a receipt. The repair and replacement of the mailbox is the responsibility of the owner. This policy covers mailboxes for properties fronting on a Town road. For properties located on a County Road or a State Highway, notification should be made to the Ozaukee County Highway Department at (262) 284-8331.
The Town of Cedarburg uses an average of 500 tons of salt per year to address snow and ice. Almost all of the salt used is coated with an additive that enhances the melting capabilities of the salt. Before 2010, the Town added a man-made liquid chemical called calcium chloride to the salt, which helped lower the melting point of the snow and ice to about 15ºF. Beginning in 2009, the Town replaced the calcium chloride with an organic liquid additive made from sugar beets called GeoMelt®. This product will melt snow and ice at temperatures around 0º. It also requires about 25% less salt which may allow the Town to save as much as 12% on salt costs. Most recently, the Town has included the addition of salt brine and a smaller percentage of GeoMelt® which has provided the same melting characteristics while reducing the amount of funds spent on costlier products such as GeoMelt®.
The Town has also invested in an anti-icing tanker truck that allows the Town to treat the roadways prior to snow and ice events. You will notice this as the faint white stripes on the roadway, which results from the salt brine treatment application being sprayed onto the roadway. The intention of this treatment is to create a salt brine bond with asphalt prior to the snow and ice arriving. This salt brine bond at the correct temperatures prevents snow and ice from binding onto the roadway thus making it easier to scrape with the patrol trucks.
The Town frequently attends continuing education to better understand new and upcoming technologies aimed at making our roadways safer and streamlining our operations.