Whether we like it or not, winter is coming. Better make sure we’re ready.

For commercial property managers in Minnesota, preparing for winter means more than signing a snow-removal contract and making sure there is enough salt on hand. One of the most important decisions should happen before the first significant snowfall:

Where is all that snow going to go?

On a small property, pushing snow to the edge of a parking lot may seem simple. On a busy commercial site, however, snow can accumulate quickly over the course of a Minnesota winter. Poorly located piles can gradually consume parking spaces, restrict visibility, interfere with pedestrian routes, block drainage and create problems for landscaping long after the snow itself has melted.

Designating snow-storage areas before winter gives your snow-management contractor a plan to follow from the first storm onward. It also allows property managers to think about traffic, drainage, landscaping and spring conditions while the entire site is still visible.

The Minnesota Stormwater Manual specifically recommends predetermined locations for snow stockpiling and stresses that property owners and snow-removal contractors should identify suitable storage areas before they are needed.

Snow piles get much bigger than you expect

The first two or three snowfalls may not create much concern. A pile occupies an unused corner of the parking lot and everything continues operating normally.

Then February arrives.

Every additional snowfall adds volume to the existing piles. Snow pushed off drive lanes becomes denser, piles become taller and the available space around them gets smaller. If there was no storage strategy at the beginning of the season, contractors may have few options other than sacrificing additional parking spaces or hauling snow off site.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency recommends estimating snow-storage capacity in advance and notes that planning for storage capacity equal to roughly 20 to 30 percent of the snow volume from the source area can be useful when evaluating snow-storage sites.

For a commercial property, that means looking beyond where snow can be placed after one storm. The better question is whether that location can continue receiving snow throughout an entire winter.

Protect the parking spaces your customers and tenants need

Parking lots are designed around circulation and capacity. Unplanned snow piles can gradually undermine both.

A pile that consumes two parking spaces in December may spread across six or eight spaces after repeated storms. At retail properties, offices, healthcare facilities and multifamily communities, losing usable parking during the busiest months of winter can inconvenience customers, tenants and employees.

A designated storage plan lets property managers determine which areas can be temporarily sacrificed without disrupting normal operations. It also helps establish the point at which piles should be removed from the property rather than allowed to expand further.

For larger sites, the plan might include several primary storage areas, secondary overflow locations and a trigger for off-site hauling.

That is much easier to determine in October than during a major January snow event.

Keep entrances, intersections and traffic lanes visible

Snow storage is also a visibility issue.

Large piles near parking-lot entrances, internal intersections and pedestrian crossings can make it difficult for drivers to see approaching vehicles or people entering the roadway. As piles grow, a location that was perfectly acceptable early in the winter can eventually create an obstructed sight line.

Snow-management plans should therefore keep major piles away from:

Parking-lot entrances and exits, internal intersections, pedestrian crossings, loading areas, frequently used drive aisles, fire routes and areas where vehicles need additional visibility to turn or merge.

Cold-climate stormwater planning guidance from Massachusetts similarly recommends maintaining pedestrian and emergency routes and ensuring stockpiles do not obstruct sight lines at roadway or driveway intersections.

Planning pile locations in advance also gives contractors clear instructions about areas that must remain open regardless of how much snow falls.

Think about where the snow will melt

A snow pile is temporary. The water and material inside it are not.

Commercial parking-lot snow can contain deicing salt, sand, sediment, automotive residue, litter and other material collected from paved surfaces. As a pile melts, those materials can travel with the runoff.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency notes that snowmelt from paved surfaces and storage piles may contain chloride, metals, sediment and other pollutants. The agency recommends considering drainage patterns when choosing storage locations and, where practical, directing meltwater toward appropriate stormwater treatment systems rather than allowing it to flow directly toward sensitive waters.

Michigan environmental guidance likewise recommends selecting snow-storage areas where meltwater can be appropriately managed and warns against locations that discharge directly into catch basins with little opportunity for treatment.

Before designating a snow-storage area, look at what is downhill.

Where will the water travel during a sunny March afternoon? Could it cross a sidewalk and freeze again overnight? Will it flow into a parking area? Is there a storm drain underneath the pile? Could the runoff enter a pond, wetland or neighboring property?

Minnesota guidance specifically recommends avoiding snow storage directly over drain inlets and locating piles so that meltwater does not drain onto sidewalks, streets or other areas where freeze-thaw cycles could create new icing problems.

Do not turn stormwater features into convenient snow dumps

Rain gardens, infiltration basins and other stormwater features can look like perfect places for storing snow because they are often lower than the surrounding parking lot.

That does not necessarily mean they should be used that way.

The Minnesota Stormwater Manual advises against using stormwater treatment best management practices as general snow-storage locations and says infiltration systems should not be used for significant snow storage because debris accumulation, plant damage and reduced infiltration can result.

Where stormwater infrastructure exists on a commercial property, snow-storage locations should be considered as part of the overall drainage plan rather than independently from it.

Protect expensive landscaping

One of the easiest places to push snow is also one of the easiest places to damage: the landscape beds surrounding a parking lot.

Large quantities of compacted snow can bend or break shrubs, damage branches, compress soil and delay spring growth. Snow collected from parking lots may also contain deicing salt.

University of Minnesota Extension notes that deicing salts can damage turf, trees and shrubs through both salt spray and salty runoff. Salt accumulation can dehydrate plant roots, damage foliage and contribute to soil conditions that make it harder for plants to grow.

That does not mean landscaped areas can never be used for snow storage. It means those areas should be intentionally designed and planted for that purpose.

Minnesota stormwater guidance recommends salt-tolerant vegetation for snow-storage areas and suggests using landscape configurations that can accommodate snow without unnecessarily damaging plants.

For commercial properties undergoing landscape improvements, snow storage should actually be part of the design conversation. A strategically placed turf or low-maintenance area may function as usable green space for most of the year while providing an appropriate snow-storage location during winter.

Make the plan easy for your snow contractor to follow

A good snow-storage plan does not need to be complicated.

Before winter, walk the property with the person responsible for snow management and identify primary pile locations, overflow areas and locations where snow must never be stored.

Marking storage boundaries can be especially helpful once landscape edges, curbs and drainage features disappear beneath snow. The Minnesota Stormwater Manual recommends identifying snow-storage boundaries so they remain visible during winter and marking edges of plowed and storage areas to reduce damage.

For larger commercial sites, a simple property map can identify:

Primary snow-storage areas; overflow storage areas; areas where piling is prohibited; fire and emergency access; pedestrian routes; loading zones; storm drains and stormwater infrastructure; sensitive landscaping; and locations where snow should be hauled away once piles reach a predetermined size.

Providing the same plan to property managers, facility staff and snow contractors removes guesswork during a storm.

Plan for spring while planning for winter

Where a snow pile sits in January can determine what a property looks like in April.

As commercial snow piles melt, they often leave behind sand, litter, sediment and other debris collected throughout the winter. New York State environmental guidance recommends cleaning accumulated trash, sediment and debris from snow-storage locations before the growing season.

Wisconsin winter-maintenance guidance similarly recommends locating piles where debris can be recovered after melting and avoiding sensitive vegetation.

Choosing accessible snow-storage locations now makes spring cleanup easier. It can also reduce the likelihood of discovering damaged turf, broken shrubs, clogged drainage areas or large deposits of parking-lot debris after the snow disappears.

A little planning now can prevent a lot of winter problems

Snow storage may seem like a small detail when pavement is still dry and Minnesota’s first major snowstorm feels far away.

But once winter arrives, storage becomes one of the fundamental constraints of commercial snow management.

The best time to decide where snow should go is before there is snow on the ground.

By designating storage areas now, commercial property managers can protect parking capacity, maintain better traffic visibility, keep pedestrian and emergency routes accessible, reduce unnecessary landscape damage and manage spring snowmelt more effectively.

It also gives your snow-removal contractor something invaluable during a storm: a clear plan.

Lakeshore Landscaping provides commercial snow removal and ice-management services as part of our year-round approach to property care. Before winter arrives, our teams can help evaluate your property, identify practical snow-storage locations and develop a snow-management strategy designed around the way your site actually operates.

Preparing your commercial property for winter? Contact Lakeshore Landscaping to discuss snow removal, ice management and a proactive plan for keeping your property safe and functional all season.

Sources

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency — Minnesota Stormwater Manual: Guidance and Recommendations for Storing Transported Snow and for On-Site Snow Storage. The guidance covers snow-storage siting, meltwater, drainage, stormwater practices, storage capacity and landscape considerations.

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency — Minnesota Stormwater Manual: Overview for Infiltration. Recommends predetermined snow-stockpile locations and warns against significant snow storage within infiltration features.

University of Minnesota Extension: The Effects of Deicing Salts on Landscapes. Explains how deicing salts affect Minnesota soils, turf, trees, shrubs, groundwater and surface water.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: Salt and Storm Water. Provides cold-climate guidance regarding winter salt use and its effects on lakes, streams and groundwater.

Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy: Snow Removal Guidance. Provides guidance for choosing snow-storage locations, protecting water resources and managing snowmelt.

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection: Snow Disposal Guidance. Provides snow-storage and disposal guidance for municipalities and private businesses, with emphasis on protecting wetlands, drinking water and surface waters.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation: Snow Disposal Guidance. Covers upland snow-storage site selection, contaminated snow, buffers, sediment control and post-melt cleanup.