The Bismarck Snow Emergency Declaration has been lifted and is no longer in effect. Residential street snow plowing was completed last night. Public Works crews were able to clear all residential streets in less than 48 hours.  

Public Works crews have applied over 2000 tons of sand on the streets so far. The City has a contract to readily replenish the sand supply as needed. Street crews are applying sanding material to streets and intersections to create better traction. When temps are below zero it makes it very difficult for the sand to stick to the road. The strong winds have blown off some of the sand, or in some cases, it’s been plowed off.  City crews will be applying brine with the sand so it will stick to the icy surface better. We ask that motorists drive with caution and slow down. With icy road conditions and when conditions are less than ideal, increase your following distance to give you more time to react.

In some areas, streets are narrowed by snow. This includes emergency routes. Please, drive carefully. Be courteous to other drivers in areas narrowed by snow and allow them to merge into traffic.  City crews are working on street widening efforts and will continue this work for the next several weeks.

We ask that contractors cleaning parking lots do not push the snow into the street or across the street onto the boulevard.

If you’ve already done this, please remove the snow.

According to City Ordinance, a person may not move, dump or deposit by any means any snow or ice accumulated on private property onto any public street, alley, or public right-of-way.  The fine for this violation is up to $1,000.

Mailbox Clearance - It is the property owner’s responsibility to clear snow around their mailbox.  If it is a cluster box, it is the responsibility of those residents to clear the snow from around the cluster box. We ask that you work with your neighbors to clear the snow.

Adopt a Hydrant - With the recent snow event, we are asking for everyone’s help to clear snow from around the hydrants by “adopting” a hydrant in your neighborhood. This helps reduce the time it takes for the fire department to get water on a fire by ensuring that we can find and access the fire hydrant when we need it most. By helping us you could save your neighbor’s house or your own in an emergency.  The snow should be cleared 6 inches below all the caps and 3 to 4 feet around the hydrant. This gives firefighters the space they need to attach hoses and turn on water in case of a fire in your neighborhood. If you are a business owner, please take to time to ensure the hydrants in your area are also kept clear.