Royal Oak’s snow rules, in plain words.
A pledge for the walk. A law for the street.
Royal Oak has no sidewalk deadline in its code, asks residents to pledge one, and does ticket snow put in the street.
A referral service for Royal Oak homeowners. An automated assistant answers; calls are recorded.
Typical cost: one visit $30 – $70; a seasonal contract $200 – $600 with a cap on visits — national ranges (HomeGuide’s chart, December 2024)
- Cost to call
- Nothing
- Answered by
- Automated assistant
- Hours
- Any hour
The 7-10 rule is a promise, not a law.
The city asks residents to pledge to clear walks by 10 p.m. after daytime snow and by 10 a.m. after overnight snow, at least 36 inches wide. the city’s page
No ticket for missing 10 a.m., but the walk is still yours, and the city may clear it and bill you.
What the city requires
- The sidewalk is the owner’s or occupant’s. If it is left, the city may clear it and charge the cost plus a 10% penalty as a special assessment on the property (the city charter).
- No deadline in the code. The city commission took up a sidewalk snow ordinance in at least 15 winters and, as of the city manager’s 2016 report, decided against one each time (the 2016 report).
- Not into the street, not onto the walk. Nobody may put snow from private property in the right of way, themselves or through their agent; if it creates a hazard it is to be removed at once, otherwise within 24 hours of notice (the city’s rule).
- The fines for that: at least $50, then $100, then $250, and a fourth time is a misdemeanor, up to $500 or 90 days (the penalties). State law separately bars snow on any roadway, fine up to $100 (state law).
- Rentals: every residential rental must keep up its snow removal (the rental rule).
What the city does
- Up to 4 inches: major roads such as 12 Mile are plowed or salted around the clock, then connector streets and routes to schools (the city’s page).
- A snow emergency, generally at 4 inches or more: every street is plowed, starting from the major roads, in a different section of the city each time, taking about 24 to 36 hours (the city’s page · the highway division).
- Parking in a snow emergency: none on residential streets without a police permit; vehicles may be ticketed, fined up to $100, and towed; a block already clear curb to curb is excluded (the city’s page · the ordinance).
- Downtown: snow is plowed to the center of the street and picked up after the local roads are done (the city’s page).
- Your driveway: the city calls the pile at the end of it unavoidable, and says it must be cleared again after the plow (the city’s page).
Who to call
- Is a snow emergency on? The hotline, (248) 246-3442, any hour (the city’s page).
- A walk left uncleared: the city’s Report a Concern form; questions to 248-246-3201 (the city’s page · the form).
- A senior who needs help: R.O.S.E.S., for residents 62 and over who qualify by income; the city’s page also notes that some local churches help (the program · the city’s page).
- A contractor for your own driveway and walk: that is what this site is for. Call, or use the form.
Questions
Is this Royal Oak the city or the township?
- The city. Royal Oak Charter Township has its own code, including a permit for snow equipment on sidewalks for hire (the township’s code), and none of the township’s rules are on this page.
Does my contractor need a city license?
- No city plow license appears in Royal Oak’s code, and Michigan’s residential licenses don’t cover the work (the state law). Ask for proof of insurance instead.