Frequently Asked Questions

Snow is plowed from the center of the road to the curb or gutter line. This is the only method possible to properly clear the roads. We don’t want to put snow in your driveway but we have no choice. Please do not ask the snowplow driver to plow the entrance of your driveway.

When it begins to snow our chief objective is to plow our main and secondary roads. Once the snowstorm ends, we will complete the cleanup of those primary roads and then begin to plow the plats and side streets. Please be patient. We realize everyone would like to be plowed out first but this is impossible. Once a storm ends it takes between 6 to 10 hours to completely plow all the streets.

Unfortunately, we can only plow one street at a time. Please do not call Public Works to ask if your street can be plowed for this reason. To expedite snowplowing the drivers are instructed to continue plowing from one street to another in the same area. We get many calls from people telling us they need to get to work. Sending plows from one area to another to plow one street will severely hamper and lengthen the snowplow operation.

If you have a real emergency, please call 911. They will contact our department and we will dispatch the proper equipment to facilitate the emergency.

To properly clear the streets a plow may make 3 to 4 passes on each side of the street. The deeper the snow, the more passes are necessary to clear the streets.

Public Works does not repair mailboxes that have been knocked over by the snow. This is an unfortunate byproduct of a snowplow operation. When snow is pushed to the side of the road it becomes extremely heavy and can damage mailboxes.

If your lawn is damaged, call Public Works to report the damage. Someone will go and look at the damage. If the damage is significant we will repair the area with loam & seed. We do not repair sprinkler systems that have been installed in the Town right-of-way. The property owner or resident is responsible for the repairs.

Yes, when snow is predicted a parking ban will be put into effect for at least 24 hours to assist the snowplow operation. The information will be broadcast over the local TV and radio stations.

If it snows on the day your trash and recycling is scheduled to be picked up, please put your containers in a location where they are less likely to be affected by the snowplow operation, such as a corner of your driveway and a couple of feet off the edge of the road. Plows must push snow to the sides of the road and cannot avoid containers placed along the edge of the road.

If it snows yard waste pick-up will be delayed. The Public Works Department is responsible for yard waste pickup and must plow snow first. When it snows we ask that you do not put your yard waste out by the curb. The snowplow will probably knock the bags over or they may lose strength and break.

Yard waste is picked up various time periods throughout the year. For the month of January, only Christmas trees will be picked up. Please remove all decorations/ornaments/tinsel. Regular Yard waste (grass, leaves, brush & branches smaller than 1.5in diameter) is picked up for the month of May (starting the first full week of the calendar month), for the month of October (starting the week after Columbus Day), for the entire month of November, and through the first week of December. 

Grass, leaves and brush should be in PAPER BAGS. Branches should be in 3ft bundles tied with twine, or in a PAPER BAG. Please do not overfill fill your bags or make them too heavy. The weight limit is 30lbs, and there is a limit of 25 bags/bundles per home. If they are too heavy we will be unable to lift them into our trucks. Bags that are left at the curb for extended periods may become weak and break. We try to maintain the same pickup schedule as your trash/recycling, but may not always be able to pickup on the same day. Only put your yard waste at the curb a day before it is scheduled for pick up/your regular trash pickup day.

Residents may DROP OFF Yard Waste YEAR ROUND at TARF (351 Fall River Ave Seekonk) Monday-Friday 8am-3pm, Saturdays April-November 8am-12pm, and 2nd & 4th Saturdays December-March 8am-12pm.