Snow Removal

Our city's crews are committed to providing efficient snow removal services while being mindful of expenses. To achieve this, we have established clear policies that prioritize safety and accessibility for residents. 

Ozark's paved roadway network covers approximately 97.22 centerline miles of pavement. Our crews will begin clearing emergency roads first, followed by secondary roads and then residential subdivision areas.

With a crew of seven (7), the Public Works Department has limited personnel and resources to reach every street immediately after a snow event. The city is divided into six sections for snow removal. Each section takes about 8 hours to make one full pass. Pushing curb-to-curb and clearing cul-de-sacs can add another 8-12 hours per section.

  1. Snow Accumulation 2” or more
  2. Snow Accumulation less than 2"

For snowstorms accumulating 2” or more, the policy steps go as follows:  

  1. Emergency routes will be plowed and treated first without exception until at least 75% clear before moving to secondary roads. 
  2. Secondary routes will be plowed and treated until at least 50% clear. Crews will then move to subdivisions. 
  3. Operators will make one (1) pass in and out on every subdivision street, only treating intersections and any spots deemed unsafe by the plow truck operator. 
  4. Once these three(3) areas have been plowed, crews will return to emergency routes and clear those. Followed by secondary streets and subdivisions again, pushing all roads’ full-width or curb-to-curb, depending on the street.

The Public Works Department will pretreat all intersections where a stop sign is placed, all up or downhill slopes greater than a three (3) percent angle, and any area within city limits that is a safety concern during a snow or ice event. 

See the map HERE for the Cooperative Snow Removal Agreement.
snow removal (1)

Whose road is it anyway?

Also, keep in mind that the city does not have jurisdiction over some of the main roads through our city. For example, W Jackson/Highway 14, S. 3rd St, and W South St are MoDOT roads. Other major streets might be Ozark Special Road District.

Please see the map for street ownership: Whose road is it anyway?