Seasonal vs per-push snow contracts

The contract you sign in October decides who eats the risk in February. Here's how the models differ and how to structure them so a light — or brutal — winter doesn't wreck your season.

A contracts guide for snow & ice management operators.

Snow is the only trade where your revenue depends on the weather cooperating in a very specific way. Contracts are how you manage that. Pick the wrong structure and you either leave money on the table in a big winter or lose your shirt in a small one. The goal isn't to win every risk — it's to price the risk on purpose instead of by accident.

The main contract types

Per-push

You bill each time you clear the property, usually with depth tiers. The client carries the weather risk (a snowy winter costs them more), which makes it the safest model for you and the most common for residential work. The downside is unpredictable revenue and the occasional client who disputes whether a 2-inch dusting needed a push.

Per-event

Like per-push, but you bill once per storm rather than per visit, even if a long storm needs two passes. Simpler for the client to predict; you have to define clearly when one "event" ends and the next begins.

Seasonal (flat-rate)

One price for the whole winter, unlimited (or capped) service. You get predictable, upfront revenue and a locked-in account — and you carry the weather risk. This is the model that builds a stable snow business, but only if you price it off real history and protect the downside.

Time-and-materials / hourly

Common on commercial lots and loader work: bill per hour per machine plus salt. Best when scope is genuinely unpredictable; pair it with a not-to-exceed cap because commercial clients want a ceiling.

How to price a seasonal contract without getting burned

Seasonal pricing is an averaging bet, so base it on data, not this year's forecast:

• Pull your average number of plowable events over the last 3–5 winters for the area.
• Multiply by your per-push price for that property, then add margin.
• Cap the pushes — e.g. "up to 15 events; additional events billed per push." This turns an unlimited liability into a bounded one.
• Bill in even monthly installments across the season (or the year) so your cash flow doesn't depend on when it snows.

Which model for which client

Residential clients usually prefer the simplicity of seasonal or per-push. Commercial and municipal clients — the ones with liability exposure and a lawyer — often want fixed seasonal pricing plus documented salting and response times. Mixed books are healthy: seasonal contracts give you a revenue floor, and per-push accounts are pure upside when it snows hard.

What every snow contract must spell out

• Trigger depth — the snowfall that starts service (commonly 1–2").
• Scope — exactly which drives, lots, walks and steps, and whether salting is included or billed separately.
• Response window — how fast after a storm, and priority order for commercial sites.
• Liability & insurance — slip-and-fall is the biggest risk in snow; put the indemnity and insurance language in writing.
• Season dates and renewal terms.