Snow Removal Estimate Template: A Bid You Can Copy (Per-Event and Seasonal)

What a snow removal estimate has to answer

• Who: your business name and contact details, and the client’s name, the property address and the person who approves the work.
• Where: every area you will service, ideally on a map: lot, drive aisles, walks, entrances, stairs, ramps, loading docks.
• When: how much snow starts a plowing visit, what starts a de-icing visit, and how fast you respond.
• How much: a per-event rate card, a seasonal price, or both, so the client can choose.
• What is not included: hauling, roofs, private patios, damage to anything hidden or unmarked.
• How to accept: a signature and date, and how long the price is good for.

Part 1: Header and client

• Estimate number and date: [EST-2026-014], [October 9, 2026]
• Your business: [name], [address], [phone], [email]; in Canada, your GST/HST number if you are registered
• Prepared for: [client name], [title], [company or strata/HOA name]
• Property: [service address], [site name if the client has several]
• Service period: [November 1, 2026] to [March 31, 2027]

Part 2: Site and scope

Write the scope as a list of areas, not a phrase like “snow removal as needed”. The difference shows up in the first storm.

Part 3: Service triggers and response

• Plowing starts when [5 cm / 2 in] of snow has fallen on the lot.
• Walks and entrances are shovelled when [2 cm / 1 in] has fallen.
• De-icing is applied after each plowing or shovelling visit, and on its own when ice or freezing rain is forecast or found, including nights with no snowfall.
• Priority areas are cleared first: [entrances, fire lane, accessible parking, ramps].
• Response: walks and entrances clear by [7 a.m.] on business days when snow stops overnight; during continuous snowfall, return every [X] cm or [X] hours.

Part 4: Pricing (offer one or both)

Option A: per-event rate card. Each visit is billed at the rate below. These rates are not added up into a season total, because nobody knows how many storms are coming.

A snowfall usually needs both a plowing visit and a de-icing visit. A cold, clear night after a thaw may need de-icing alone. Say so on the estimate, so the client isn’t surprised to see both on the same storm.

Option B: seasonal price. [$] for the service period, paid in [5] monthly instalments of [$]. It covers every plowing, shovelling and de-icing visit triggered under this estimate. Optional cap: it covers up to [N] plowing events or [X cm / in] of total snowfall; beyond that, events are billed at the Option A rates.

Material: all prices include the de-icing material (salt or treated salt) applied at the rate the conditions need. There is no separate salt charge.

An all-in price is easier for a client to approve and budget, and it ends arguments about how many bags went down. Work out what each site takes per application before you quote (the salt application rates cheat sheet is a starting point) and build it into the price. The free pricing calculator shows the per-visit and seasonal math line by line.

Part 5: Included and not included

Included: the areas listed in Part 2; moving snow to the stacking areas on the site map; de-icing of the areas listed; a record of every visit.

Not included unless agreed in writing:

• Hauling snow off the property when the stacking areas are full (quoted on request).
• Roofs, balconies, private patios and anything not on the site map.
• Clearing around vehicles left in the lot; we clear what we can safely reach and return once they are moved, at the per-event rate.
• Damage to items hidden under snow and not staked or shown on the site map.
• Repairs to pavement, curbs or lawns already damaged at the pre-season inspection.

Part 6: Records and reporting

For every visit we record the arrival and finish times, the location, before and after photos, and which areas were de-iced. You receive a completion report after each visit, and the full record is available on request.

Commercial clients ask for this more every year. The proof-of-service checklist is the list your best clients are reading.

Part 7: Terms and acceptance

• Payment: per-event visits invoiced [after each event / monthly], due within [30] days; seasonal instalments due on the [1st] of each month.
• This estimate is valid for [30] days from the date above.
• Insurance: a certificate of insurance is provided on request.
• Cancellation: either party with [30] days’ written notice.
• The full terms are attached: [your contract or terms and conditions].
• Accepted by: [name], [title], signature, date.

Send it while the site walk is fresh

• Send the estimate within a day or two of walking the site, while the client still remembers you.
• Follow up once a few days later with a short note, not a new price.
• Make it easy to sign: one signature line, or online signing the client can do on a phone.
• Send last season’s clients their estimate for this season early. October is when they decide whether to keep you.

Mistakes that lose bids, or margin

• One total with no breakdown, so the client can’t see what they are paying for.
• No trigger depth, so the client expects a visit for a dusting.
• No de-icing line, so ice nights become arguments about who pays.
• A scope that says “as needed”.
• No expiry date, so an October price gets accepted in January after salt and fuel prices have moved.
• No map, so the forgotten walkway turns up in the first storm.

From estimate to signed agreement in Icey

Icey Software builds this kind of estimate as a quote: a per-event rate card, where plowing and de-icing are priced as separate visits, or a seasonal price paid in monthly instalments, with the salt included in the price. Each site’s service area is drawn on satellite imagery. The client reviews the quote and signs on their phone from the email, and if the client hasn’t opened the quote’s signing link a few days after it was sent, Icey creates a follow-up task for it. The Free plan covers up to 5 operator seats and up to 15 active sites, with no card.