Snow Plowing and Salting

Streets

City crews will begin applying salt to roadways when either snow or ice begins to accumulate and cause unsafe traveling conditions. The use of rock salt is the most efficient and cost-effective method of snow and ice control for small amounts of winter precipitation. The amount used is based on total accumulation, temperature and traffic conditions.

Crews begin an all-out plowing operation whenever two inches of snow have accumulated on paved services and snow is still falling.

Naperville has established a priority plowing system for its more than 1,500 miles of roadway so that the main traffic routes are plowed first. The goal is to clear all streets within 15 hours after snow stops falling; however, heavier snows often take longer to clear. 

Arterial and main streets are plowed in the first phase of snow removal; residential side streets, cul-de-sacs, alleys and dead ends are cleared in the second phase. Cul-de-sacs are more difficult to clear than through streets as there is less space in parkways to dump snow without burying driveways, mailboxes, streetlights or fire hydrants.

Some roads are the responsibility of other local governments to clear.

• State of Illinois - Ogden Avenue and Route 59
• DuPage County - 75th Street, Naper Boulevard north of Ogden Avenue, Mill Street north of Ogden Avenue, Plainfield/Naperville Road north of 87th Street to 75th Street and Raymond Drive
• Will County - Plainfield/Naperville Road south of 87th Street and 111th Street east of Route 59
• Townships - Township agencies maintain Royal Porthcawl Drive in Wheatland Township, Green Acres Drive in Naperville Township and Wehrli/College Road north of 75th Street in Lisle Township, to name a few. 
• Regional Roadway Contact Information
  • IDOT: (800) 452-4368
  • DuPage County: (630) 407-6900
  • Will County: (815) 727-8476

Driveways

Residents are responsible for shoveling their driveways. City crews try to avoid putting large piles of snow in front of driveways; however, snowplows have to push the snow out of the road to allow for safe travel.

Please place snow in your yard and not in the street, as putting it in the street causes slippery conditions for both motorists and pedestrians and is against City code.

Sidewalks

Residents and/or property owners are responsible for shoveling their sidewalks, per City code. This helps keep pedestrians - including children walking to school - safe. Please also clear snow around fire hydrants to aid firefighters and around meters to aid utility meter readers.

Commercial parking lots are cleared by their property owners. The city clears snow from city parking lots, the areas around the downtown Naperville train station and downtown sidewalks.

Sump Pumps

For additional safety, sump pump discharges should not be run onto the sidewalk or street. Residents are responsible for maintaining the sidewalks along their property and making sure that they remain free from hazards, including freezing water from sump pump discharges.

Salt Conservation

Naperville is committed to the safety of our motorists as well as stewardship of the DuPage River and our environment. The City has maintained a relatively steady salt application ratio over the past few years, which reflects its salt conversation effort implemented in the winter of 2013/2014. These efforts also aligned with preparations for more restrictive chloride (salt) standards through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA).  

Conserving salt usage can help make a big fiscal and environmental difference. Residents can help in this effort by taking some simple steps to reduce the amount of salt used on your driveways and sidewalks this winter and help the DuPage River:

1. Salt works best before snowfall. If you salt once before any snow hits the ground, you won’t have to salt again. This also makes shoveling easier.
2. When salting your driveway or sidewalk, remember that more salt does not mean more melting. A 12-ounce coffee mug of salt should be enough to cover 12 squares of  sidewalks, or about 300 square feet.
3. Most salt stops working if the temperature is under 15 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do salt under this temperature, no melting will occur and you’ll be wasting time, money and the health of our waterways.

Please consider doing your part to help conserve the natural beauty of the DuPage River. Salt less, save more!