Rapid City Public Works
Street Division
Roadway Snow Removal Hotline: (605) 394-4152, during regular business hours.
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During an active snow event, the City uses a targeted response, based on the adopted Plowing Policy. Once the snow has stopped falling, crews will turn their attention to the remaining areas of the City that still need attention.
Please report roads that need additional snow removal to our hotline at (605) 394-4152 or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For sidewalk snow removal issues or complaints, please contact the Code Enforcement Division at (605) 355-3465.
Winter weather can make driving dangerous and create challenges for everyone – drivers, homeowners, pedestrians, emergency workers, and snow removal teams. The Rapid City Street Division works hard to make sure the roads are safe and clear for everyone during the winter season.
While many drivers start getting ready for winter in late fall, the Street Division begins its work right after the last winter. We look at all of our plans, equipment, and materials to make sure we are ready for the next winter season. Our goal is simple: to make the roads as safe as possible using the resources we have. This includes sanding, salting, snow plowing, snow removal, or a combination of these services.
Rapid City has about 350 miles of multi-lane streets and 40 miles of alleys, which adds up to around 1,500 lane miles of road. Since it’s not possible to clear everything at once, we prioritize which areas to treat first. In emergency situations, these priorities might change.
Winter Driving Tips:
- Practice your winter driving skills and adjust to the road conditions.
- Keep your car in good shape by checking your tires, battery, and windshield wipers.
- Give yourself extra time when driving in winter weather.
- Don’t push snow into the street when clearing your driveway.
- Park off the street during snowstorms so plows can work more efficiently.
Snow Policy Overview:
The Street Division’s goal is to make the roads as safe as possible, in the most cost-effective way. We do this by using sand, salt, and liquid deicers to treat the roads, with different products applied to different areas based on priority.
Sanding and Chemical Treatment:
- Priority 1: Main roads, emergency routes, steep streets, busy intersections, and areas that are especially dangerous.
- Priority 2: Smaller roads, streets near schools, and residential streets.
- Priority 3: Residential streets (only treated when needed).
We try to use less material on flat streets unless the weather makes it necessary.
Plowing Policy:
Snow plowing is divided into three levels:
- Level A (2-4” of snow): Main roads, emergency routes, steep streets, and busy intersections, including downtown snow removal during active snowfall. Crews will move into the other areas when the snow fall ends.
- Level B (4-6” of snow): Smaller roads and high-traffic residential streets, plus Level A areas and continued downtown snow removal during active snowfall. Other areas will be tackled after the snow stops.
- Level C (6+” of snow): All other streets, with help from contractors to clear roads faster.
We do not clear driveway entrances during regular plowing unless there are special circumstances. Property owners are responsible for clearing snow from sidewalks next to their properties. However, the city will clear sidewalks on public bridges, large streets in residential areas, and school routes, but only after the streets are plowed.
To make sure the streets drain properly, we plow all the way from curb to curb. If plowing blocks your mailbox, we’ll remove enough snow so mail delivery can continue if the plowing was done incorrectly.
Snow Removal in Downtown and Other Key Areas:
The city will remove snow in the downtown area and other designated places, as required by the city code. This work is usually done at night to avoid heavy traffic.
If a severe storm is declared (Weather Condition 3), the Mayor or their designee may declare a Snow Emergency. This means all available city workers will be called in to help clear the roads as quickly as possible.
By following these guidelines and working together, we can help make Rapid City streets safer for everyone during the winter months.
