Winter Operations

Since New England winter weather is often unpredictable, Concord General Services’ Highway and Utilities Division prepares for winter operations for the City of Concord year-round. The salt barn is typically ready to go in October and all of the equipment is serviced and inspected in the summer. Once it starts snowing, Highway and Utilities’ first priority is to make sure road conditions are safe and clear.

Report A Concern

Use our online web portal or the MyConcordNH mobile app to report an issue (pothole, missed trash collection, illegal dumping, graffiti, damaged street sign, parking concern, snow plowing, and more). Report a concern and learn more at www.concordnh.gov/seeclickfix.

For emergencies, please call 603-228-2737 Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For after-hours and weekend emergencies, please call 603-225-8696 to reach the on-call service.

Winter Operations Policy

View the City of Concord’s official Winter Operations Policy at the link below for full information not included on this web page:

Residents, please remember that snow should not obstruct City streets, sidewalks, or hydrants. We understand it can be difficult not to place snow from your private property onto the public right-of-way. However, Ordinance 5-1-15 prohibits this action. Help us keep streets and sidewalks clear for the safety of pedestrians and drivers. Also, be sure hydrants are kept clear so they can be easily accessed in case of an emergency. We thank you for your cooperation.

City Plowing

Street Plowing

Highway and Utilities crews plow and treat 220 centerline miles (440 lane miles) of streets in Concord on a priority service level during the winter. Once snow removal operations are completed for city streets, crews can focus on clearing the 90 miles of sidewalk throughout the city on a priority level basis. Two sets of crews rotate as needed through snow storms for snow removal operations. Our main crew plows streets from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm with 23 pieces of equipment. From 3:00 pm to 11:00 pm, our swing shift operates 16 pieces of equipment. Our main shift resumes operations at 11:00 pm through 3:00 pm the next day as needed.

Sidewalk Plowing

After the snow has stopped and streets have been plowed, crews will clear City sidewalks. Sidewalks are plowed on a priority level basis. Downtown sidewalks are maintained by our Downtown Services Team. School walking routes are the highest priority for sidewalk plowing by our road crews. School walking route plowing priorities have been established between the schools and the City of Concord. View our Sidewalk Plowing Priority Map for more information.

Winter Parking Bans

Winter parking bans are issued for snow removal efforts to permit crews to clean city streets quicker, more thoroughly, and with fewer obstacles. Sign up for parking ban alerts to stay notified of snow removal operations and to prevent receiving any parking citations or towing fees. Free parking is available in the City garages on weekends, holidays, and Monday through Friday from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. for permit/lease spaces (marked with signage) and until 9:00 a.m. for metered spaces. Find more parking information at www.concordnh.gov/parking. We appreciate the community’s cooperation to park off-street to allow for a quicker, safer, and more efficient plowing process.

Winter Storm Event Parking Bans

Winter Storm Event Parking Bans are issued to prohibit parking from midnight to 7:00 a.m. on any City street in the entire City (including downtown). Sign up for “Winter Storm Event Parking Ban Alerts” in the Alert Center within the Notify Me module to get email alerts when on street parking has been restricted for the entire city.

Winter Maintenance Parking Bans

Winter Maintenance Parking Bans are issued to prohibit parking in the downtown area from midnight to 7:00 a.m. for continued snow removal. Please note that the downtown metered parking area has been expanded and the Winter Maintenance Parking Ban will now include these new areas. View the updated Downtown Snow Removal Parking Ban Map to see all areas impacted by an issued Winter Maintenance Parking Ban. Sign up for “Winter Maintenance Parking Ban Alerts” in the Alert Center within the Notify Me module to get email alerts when on street parking has been restricted for downtown.

Parking Ban Alerts

Please sign up for email alerts for both Winter Storm Event Parking Bans and Winter Maintenance Parking Bans to stay informed of when to park off-street to prevent receiving any parking citations or towing fees. Sign up for parking ban email alerts at www.concordnh.gov/notifyme.

Parking Alternatives

If a Winter Storm Event Parking Ban is issued, all cars must be removed from all streets city-wide. A Winter Maintenance Parking Ban will require all cars to be removed from the downtown Concord area (Downtown Snow Removal Parking Ban Map). Please park your car off-street to help the plows clear snow and to avoid getting a ticket and being towed. Cars may be parked overnight in the City’s municipal garages: School Street Garage, Storrs Street Garage, or the State Street Garage. Regardless of weather, free parking is available in the City garages on weekends, during observed holidays, and Monday through Friday from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. for permit & lease spaces (marked with signage) and until 9:00 a.m. for metered spaces. Penacook residents may park at the Canal Street Municipal Parking Lot at the corner of Village Street and Canal Street near Chief’s Restaurant. Currently this lot is posted for no overnight parking, but the City’s Parking Division will suspend this regulation during city-wide winter parking bans to accommodate Penacook residents. Residents should only park in the public spaces on the south side of the lot along Canal Street. Visit www.concordnh.gov/parking for more parking information or call the City’s Parking Division at (603) 225-8640.

Vehicle Towing During  Parking Bans

If you believe that your vehicle has been towed during a parking ban:
You may contact the Police Department Parking Division during normal office hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at 603-225-8640, or during times outside of the normal office hours at 603-225-8600 to make an inquiry. You will need to come to the Concord Police Department at 35 Green Street with photo identification to obtain a vehicle release form. The release form will provide the towing operator the authorization necessary to release your vehicle. We utilize a rotational list of towing contractors, so information on where to pick up your vehicle will be included with the release forms. You will be required to pay the tow company directly at the time of retrieving your vehicle.

Sand Locations

Residents can pick-up sand (please do not exceed any more than two 5 gallon buckets) at the following locations:

  1. Transfer Station (77 Old Turnpike Road; Monday-Saturday, 8:00am to 4:00pm)
  2. Wastewater Treatment Plant (125 Hall Street; Monday-Friday, 7:30am to 3:00pm)
  3. Abbott Road Material Storage Site (Across from #54 Behind the Gate, No Specific Hours)

Snow Hauling

As the winter season progresses and snow levels continue to accumulate, crews haul snow out of narrow streets and areas that obstruct line of sight for drivers. Emergency no parking signs are installed on narrow streets by noon the day before in preparation for snow hauling. Please follow these no parking signs through the season to allow crews to effectively reach areas for snow removal. Violators are subject to receiving a ticket and being towed by the City’s Parking Division. Crews will also haul snow from areas that obstruct line of sight for drivers that do not impact parking. We appreciate the community’s cooperation and patience as crews work their way through areas as time allows.

Downtown Snow Removal

Our Downtown Services Team is dedicated to performing snow removal operations on sidewalks and hardscapes. Our Highway and Utilities crews also plow the streets and clear out remaining snow overnight Sunday through Thursday. Winter Maintenance Parking Bans are issued to notify the community of a scheduled overnight downtown snow removal, which prohibits parking in the downtown area for operations. Operations typically begin at 11:00 pm and crews work as fast and as efficiently as possible to attempt to finish by 7:00 am to avoid traffic and pedestrians. Snow is loaded into approximately 12 rented trucks by loaders with snow blowers attached and is hauled to the snow dump on Old Turnpike Road. After the snow has been removed, the roads are treated with salt. Downtown snow removal operations average 5,000 cubic yards of snow each for each overnight (equivalent to 1 million gallons of water).