Snow plowing in Cambridge, MA: reserve your season pass

Plowing a driveway in Cambridge

Cambridge is a dense city with 13 officially recognized neighborhoods, from East Cambridge and Wellington-Harrington to Cambridgeport, Mid-Cambridge, Riverside and the Cambridge Highlands. Much of the housing is older multi-family houses and apartment buildings on small lots, so many drives are narrow, shared, or short. Cars are parked tightly along most side streets.

When the city declares a Snow Emergency Parking Ban, parking is banned on streets signed for it, and cars are ticketed and towed. Resident permit holders can use designated garages for free and must leave within 2 hours after the ban ends. That moves cars around fast, and plows push snow into whatever gaps appear, including the end of your drive. Plow banks on narrow streets can be tall because there is nowhere else to put the snow.

The sidewalk rule is strict. Owners must clear snow within 12 hours after it stops falling in the daytime, or before 1pm if it fell overnight, and remove ice within 6 hours of forming. The fine is $50 for each day of non-compliance. A season plowing pass cleans the drive and apron so you can reach the sidewalk and get a car out. Even on side streets with room for a plow, expect a second pass of heavy snow at the curb after the city plow clears the street. Near squares like Porter, Inman and Central, curb space is scarce and cars are packed in, so the bank is often tall and heavy when it finally lands. Ice that forms on a cleared walk has its own 6-hour limit, so plan the walk as well as the drive.