Snow and winter rules in Regina

Last verified: 28 September 2026.

A practical Regina winter check

Start with current municipal notices during an active storm. They may contain parking or snow-loading instructions that a static bylaw summary will not show.

Frontage is a property-layout question in winter too. Corner lots and businesses deserve an extra check before assuming one sidewalk is enough.

Downtown Schedule B is faster

Regina's sidewalk guidance points to the Clean Property Bylaw No. 9881 and its Schedule B. The ordinary owner deadline is 48 hours after snowfall stops or wind stops depositing drifting snow onto the walk. Properties within the bylaw's Schedule B downtown area have 24 hours. A business should check whether its parcel is in that area before quoting a deadline; “commercial” alone is not the exact geographic test. Owners must clear all sides of a corner property, not just the street bearing the civic address. A landlord should assign and inspect contractor work before the applicable period ends.

Regina's wind can rebuild a drift quickly even after a sidewalk was shoveled. That is why the City explicitly mentions drifted snow. An owner cannot rely on a single photograph from early in the storm if the path later becomes blocked. Where there is no safe place for a pile on a downtown frontage, arrange removal rather than putting it into traffic. The City allows some sidewalk snow to be placed at the curb only if it does not impede traffic; driveway and private property snow must stay on the property. These different snow sources should not be merged into a blanket permission to dump snow in the street.

When a plow affects the pedestrian path

Regina says to contact the City if a City plow leaves a windrow on the public sidewalk. That is different from a private driveway ridge after the road plow, which an owner generally must manage. Record the crossing and street name so a crew can locate an obstruction. The City's road priorities move from major routes to residential streets, and parking restrictions may be announced for specific snow routes or operations. Check the current snow and parking notices before leaving a car; a marked snow route can have a different rule from the neighbouring side street.

A corner business can face three successive conditions: its own 24-hour Schedule B clock, a municipal road plow that deposits a ridge at the curb, and a temporary parking restriction for snow removal. The clock does not restart just because the road was plowed; the City-created sidewalk obstruction should be reported specifically. For a residential property outside Schedule B, do not import the downtown 24-hour rule. Private access and any accessible ramp should be maintained as well as the regulated public sidewalk.

Notice, City work and a tax bill

Regina describes an enforcement sequence: after an uncleared sidewalk is identified, the City can give notice and, if compliance does not follow, clear it and add the cost to the property taxes. A representative case is a corner owner missing the side frontage after the 48-hour period, or a downtown owner assuming the longer period. This is illustrative rather than a named ticket. The facts to document are snowfall end, Schedule B location and the condition of every bordering walk.

Schedule B and drifting at a corner

Regina's downtown Schedule B is a mapped exception to the ordinary 48-hour sidewalk period. Before applying the 24-hour deadline, verify the property is actually in that schedule; a shop outside it should not be classified by intuition. An apartment with a long corner frontage may need more than one visit because wind can refill the side walk after the contractor clears the front. The City explicitly expects owners to address drifting as well as new snowfall. Photograph the condition at the end of the job and inspect it again before the applicable clock expires.

If a street plow leaves a ridge over a public sidewalk, Regina asks residents to contact the City. Give the exact crossing, since a private driveway pile and a pedestrian obstruction are not identical service requests. The City can clear and charge an owner after notice for a privately responsible walk, potentially adding the cost to taxes. A car on a designated snow route should be checked against the current sign and announcement rather than the sidewalk deadline. Private driveway snow stays on property; the narrow permission for some sidewalk snow at a curb does not cover all private piles.

Official source