Snow and winter rules in Burnaby

Last verified: 28 September 2026.

For the next Burnaby snow event

Before shovelling into a convenient pile, confirm the city’s placement rule and make sure the pile will not block a sidewalk, sightline or drainage path.

A corner address can have more than one frontage to clear or monitor. Business districts may also follow different winter operations.

Bylaw 4299 separates property types

Burnaby's Street and Traffic Bylaw No. 4299, section 31, requires the sidewalk bordering a property to be cleared by 10 a.m. daily during snow or ice. Subsections 31(a), (b) and (c) distinguish industrial, commercial and institutional land, multifamily residential property, and single- or two-family homes. The time of day is the important common rule, but enforcement schedules and responsible parties vary by category. The City's resident and business guidance stresses clearing the whole bordering sidewalk, including a corner side. It applies on weekends and holidays as well as business days.

Burnaby's wet Lower Mainland snow often becomes heavy slush, then ice in the evening. An early clearing that leaves a thin film can fail to provide a safe route by the next 10 a.m. A strata manager should assign the work for all common-property street frontages, not just the entrance nearest the lobby. A detached homeowner on a corner should include the side street and crossing approach. Business owners should schedule someone before opening, especially if a delivery or awning sheds more snow onto the public path.

Road plows and driveway access

The City prioritizes major roads, steep grades and transit before quieter local streets. A road plow can leave snow across a driveway after the owner's first clearing. Burnaby does not advertise a universal municipal service to reopen private driveways. Store the private pile on the property and avoid shovelling it onto the travelled lane or a bike route. A blocked public curb ramp is a City access issue; give its intersection to the service centre rather than describing it merely as a private windrow. The sidewalk obligation continues regardless of when the street itself receives a plow.

Burnaby's snow guidance asks drivers to avoid street parking where possible during operations. A citywide nightly winter parking ban is not stated there, so use the actual sign, temporary notice and ordinary parking rule for a specific curb. If a vehicle obstructs a signed plow operation or is otherwise illegally parked, parking enforcement can act. A car at a narrow bend can leave a strip of compacted snow that later forms ice, making off-street parking useful even when a legal curb space remains.

What a complaint can target

A multifamily building's front entrance is cleared, but its side-street sidewalk remains icy after 10 a.m. A pedestrian complaint can bring a bylaw inspection under section 31 and a penalty under the applicable schedule. This is a representative enforcement situation, not a named ticket. The property category matters when reading the bylaw and fine table; the citywide morning clearing time should not be confused with a ten-hour grace period after the snowfall.

Choosing the right subsection

Section 31 of Burnaby's traffic bylaw separates the responsible property categories, so a manager should look at the actual use: an industrial yard, a multifamily complex and a detached home are not necessarily assessed under the same fine schedule. They share the 10 a.m. daily clearing expectation in the City's guidance. A strata contractor should name the public perimeter in its work order; a private courtyard path is an additional access issue, not a substitute for the bordering sidewalk. On a corner, a side-street walk can be overlooked because the building entrance faces elsewhere.

A wet overnight snowfall may be soft at dawn but freeze under shade before commuters reach the corner. Check the whole width after removal and leave snow on the property where meltwater will not drain back across the walk. A road plow can throw a new ridge onto a driveway crossing after the first visit, while the City's major-route priority does not postpone the daily sidewalk time. For a car, look for a temporary restriction rather than assuming every Burnaby street has a nightly winter ban. Report a public curb ramp blocked by City operations separately from a private driveway windrow.

Burnaby's property categories also matter when an owner delegates to a tenant or strata manager. Check the actual frontage and category in the bylaw before disputing a notice. A photo of the front door alone does not show the side-street sidewalk or the full cleared width.

Official source