Frederick City and Frederick County have specific guidelines about
snow removal policies and moving your car from Snow Emergency Routes. See the note below about when the public garages are open for free overnight parking in the event of a snowstorm.
Frederick City
Snow removal policies for the city can be found at:
Snow Removal. Snow removal takes place by region in the city, so if you don't know which region you live in consult the
Snow Removal Region Map. Snow Emergency Routes are defined on this page:
Snow Emergency Routes. The city really needs one page titled "Everything You Need to Know about Snow." But they do have a
Tips About Snow document
in pdf format that you can download and this really is worth reading if
you live downtown because you can get a Notice of Violation for not
shoveling your snow within the specified time frame and to the specified
width.
Frederick County
Snow removal policies for the county can be found on their
Snow Removal page. The
County's Snow emergency definitions is described in this county document on
page 5.
When Are Public Garages Open for Free Parking After A Snowfall?
As a downtown resident, I get
this question a lot. Recently, Nikki Bamonti, from the Mayor's office
answered the question as follows:
"Only in the most extenuating circumstances are the City parking
garages open for “free parking” in a snow event. The Mayor makes that
decision on a case-by-case basis. In 2009, the City had an unusually
high volume of snow and alternative parking had to
be implemented. Hundreds of residents, businesses and downtown employees exercise the
option to rent parking spaces in the City garages on a long-term basis
so they are guaranteed a place to park. When opening the deck to “free
parking” during a snow event, that allows
anyone to occupy 1, 2 or even up to 4 spaces in the City garages. This
has the potential to put those who rent spaces on a permanent basis
without a place to park, even though they have paid a premium to secure
parking.
The Mayor recognizes that parking downtown is limited and makes the decision to open the garages after considering many factors.
When the Mayor institutes free parking in City garages in the future, we will make sure it is well publicized.
Sign up for Alert Frederick County to be notified. You can sign up here:
https://ww2.everbridge.net/citizen/EverbridgeGateway.action?body=home&gis_alias_id=1080761 For any questions about snow and snow removal, contact the 24-hour switchboard: 301-600-1440."
"Depending
on the weather updates throughout the day, we will likely be putting
out a press release later today advising residents
to “be aware of and obey the Restricted Parking designations."
The restricted parking areas assure citizens and the DPW Snow
Plow Teams that the designated areas will be open and available for use
to push and/or haul snow from streets if the need arises. As a
reminder, parking in a Restricted Parking area at any
time, will result in a fine.
Residents
are also reminded to move vehicles off of City streets if other parking is available.
A street cleared of parked vehicles allows the DPW Snow Team to plow quickly and as efficiently as possible. During any accumulating snow event, citizens are asked to stay home and off the roads if possible so as not to put themselves
or others at risk.”
Tricks for Keeping Your Driveway Clear of Plowed Snow

I
saw this YouTube video the other day on how to keep the snow plow from
plowing in your driveway once you've cleared it. It's worth watching if you
have a driveway in the suburbs or the country but won't help downtown residents.
Snow Shoveling Secrets.
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