Residential Snow Removal — Terms of Service
Archived copy — Revision 3, September 8, 2026, as first published. Superseded on September 9, 2026 by the re-issued Revision 3, which adds one paragraph on sanding prices to Section 8 and is archived at alaskasaplow.com/terms-residential-2026-09-09. This dated copy is kept unchanged for quotes that reference it; the current version is at alaskasaplow.com/terms-residential.
These terms apply to the residential snow removal services described in the quote accepted by the Client. Together, the accepted quote and these terms form the agreement between the Client and Alaska Shear & Plow (the "Contractor").
1. SCOPE OF SERVICE
Snow clearing means plowing snow from the driveway and parking area identified in the accepted quote, and stacking that snow at the edges or ends of the same area. The following are not included unless separately agreed in writing: hauling or relocating snow away from the plowed area; sanding, salting, or de-icing; ice breaking or the removal of bonded ice or hardpack; hand shoveling; and clearing of walkways, entries, steps, decks, or roofs. Sanding is available as a separately quoted service — see Section 8.
2. TRIGGER DEPTH AND TIMING
Service begins after an accumulation of approximately three inches (3") or more. Timing varies from storm to storm and depends on storm duration, route order, and conditions. During heavy or extended storms, service may be performed in multiple visits or after the storm ends. The Contractor does not guarantee service by any particular time of day.
3. SEASON TERM
The season runs October 15 through April 15 of the indicated season. Snowfall outside those dates is not included and is quoted per visit. Seasonal unlimited plans require a full-season commitment; the full seasonal price is owed regardless of how much or how little snow falls.
4. VEHICLES AND ITEMS IN THE PLOW AREA
If vehicles, trailers, equipment, or other items are in the driveway at the time of service, only the accessible areas will be cleared. Return trips to clear the remainder are billed separately. The Client shall clear the driveway of vehicles and other items before each storm.
5. CLIENT PREPARATION AND MARKING — REQUIRED BY OCTOBER 1
By October 1 of each season — or, for accounts starting later in the season, before the first scheduled service — the Client must clearly mark every fixed or hidden object within or adjacent to the plow area, including but not limited to:
Septic risers, lids, and leach field edges; well heads and well houses
Culvert ends, drainage structures, and ditch lines
Propane tanks, buried utility lines, and water service lines
Retaining walls, landscape edging, steps, patio stones, and ramps
The Contractor is not liable for damage to objects that are unmarked, or that are snow-covered and not visible at the time of service. Basketball hoops must be turned aside or raised to at least ten (10) feet of clearance before the season begins.
6. SURFACE CONDITION AND PROPERTY
Bare surface is not guaranteed on gravel or asphalt. Gravel driveways are plowed with shoes set to protect the surface; a thin packed base is left in place by design, and some displacement of gravel into adjacent areas is normal and is not considered damage. The Contractor is not liable for: scratches, rust marks, or surface marking; damage to heaved, frost-lifted, chipped, cracked, or uneven asphalt, concrete, or paver surfaces; damage to lawn, sod, landscaping, or driveway edges caused by plowing or by the piling and melting of snow; or damage to items left in the plow area, including basketball hoops, refuse and recycling containers, planters, toys, extension cords, and seasonal lighting.
7. NO SAFE-SURFACE GUARANTEE AND RELEASE — PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
ALASKA SHEAR & PLOW PLOWS SNOW. THE CONTRACTOR DOES NOT PROVIDE, AND DOES NOT PROMISE, A SAFE OR SLIP-FREE SURFACE. SNOW, ICE, HARDPACK, MELTWATER, AND REFREEZE ARE PRESENT ON ALASKA DRIVEWAYS THROUGHOUT THE WINTER — BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER SERVICE. SLIPPING, FALLING, AND LOSS OF VEHICLE TRACTION, AND THE RESULTING RISK OF BODILY INJURY, DEATH, AND PROPERTY DAMAGE, REMAIN AT ALL TIMES.
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY ALASKA LAW, THE CLIENT WAIVES, RELEASES, AND DISCHARGES ALASKA SHEAR & PLOW AND ITS OWNERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AND SUBCONTRACTORS FROM ALL CLAIMS FOR BODILY INJURY, DEATH, AND PROPERTY DAMAGE ARISING OUT OF SNOWY, ICY, OR SLIPPERY CONDITIONS ON THE PROPERTY, INCLUDING CLAIMS ARISING FROM THE ORDINARY NEGLIGENCE OF ALASKA SHEAR & PLOW. THIS RELEASE DOES NOT APPLY TO GROSS NEGLIGENCE OR INTENTIONAL MISCONDUCT.
8. OPTIONAL SANDING SERVICE
Sanding is not included in the plowing rate. It is available as an additional billed service, arranged in advance and billed per application at the sanding rate for the driveway size in the Contractor's current rate schedule, which the Contractor may adjust for a particular driveway's conditions or access, as stated in the accepted quote. The Contractor may perform sanding directly or through a qualified subcontractor.
Sanding is intended only to improve traction. It does not create a safe or slip-free surface. Sand may be tracked indoors, may scatter into lawn, landscaping, and ditches, and may require spring cleanup, which is quoted separately.
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY ALASKA LAW, THE CLIENT WAIVES, RELEASES, AND DISCHARGES ALASKA SHEAR & PLOW AND ITS OWNERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AND SUBCONTRACTORS FROM ALL CLAIMS FOR BODILY INJURY, DEATH, AND PROPERTY DAMAGE ARISING FROM SANDING SERVICE OR FROM CONTINUED SLIPPERY CONDITIONS AFTER SANDING, INCLUDING CLAIMS ARISING FROM THE ORDINARY NEGLIGENCE OF ALASKA SHEAR & PLOW. THIS RELEASE DOES NOT APPLY TO GROSS NEGLIGENCE OR INTENTIONAL MISCONDUCT.
9. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
The Contractor's total liability under this agreement, for all claims combined, is limited to the total amount paid by the Client for services in the current season. The Contractor is not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, including lost wages, missed appointments, alternate transportation, or towing costs.
10. CONDITIONS BEYOND THE CONTRACTOR'S CONTROL
The Contractor is not responsible for delay or failure to perform caused by extraordinary weather, equipment breakdown, road or driveway impassability, utility or fuel interruption, natural disaster, or other causes beyond its reasonable control.
11. PAYMENT, RATES, AND DEFAULT
Payments are due as set out in the accepted quote. If any payment is not made when due, the Contractor may suspend or terminate service without further notice. Suspension or termination does not relieve the Client of amounts owed for services already performed or for the remaining balance of a full-season commitment. The Client is responsible for reasonable collection costs and attorney fees incurred in recovering unpaid amounts. Payment method. A seasonal plan paid in full may be paid by check, ACH, or credit card. All other amounts — the installments of a three- or six-payment plan, per-visit service, sanding, hourly work, and every other charge during the season — are paid by credit card or ACH only and are not payable by check. The Client shall keep a credit card or a bank account for ACH on file with the Contractor for the season, at the Client's choice, and authorizes the Contractor to charge each installment and each charge to it on its due date. A 3% convenience fee applies to credit card payments and a 1% processing fee to ACH payments.
Rate schedule. Per-visit service, service outside the season dates, optional services, and hourly equipment work are billed at the Contractor's published rate schedule in effect for the current season, which is provided with the quote and available on request. Per-visit plowing is priced by driveway size and by the total snow on the driveway at the time of service, including accumulation from earlier storms, as determined by the Contractor. Depth is measured by the Contractor as a representative depth across the plowed area, not the deepest drift or the lightest spot. If the accumulation at the time of service exceeds the depth band booked, the difference is charged to the payment method on file. The Contractor's record of conditions at the time of service is controlling. Accumulations deeper than the highest published depth band for the driveway size are billed at the applicable hourly equipment rate — plow truck or loader, as assigned by the Contractor — subject to its stated minimum.
12. CANCELLATION AND TRANSFER
If the Contractor materially fails to perform, the Client may cancel this agreement and receive a refund of amounts prepaid for services not performed. If the property is sold or vacated, this agreement is not cancelled or refunded, but may be transferred to the new occupants, or to a new address within the Contractor's current service area, with the Contractor's written consent.
13. NOTICE OF SERVICE CONCERNS AND DAMAGE CLAIMS
Service quality. The Client shall notify the Contractor of any concern with the quality or completeness of a service visit within seventy-two (72) hours of that visit, so that conditions can be inspected and corrected while they still exist.
Property damage. Claims for damage to the property must be reported in writing within seventy-two (72) hours of discovery and before any repair or replacement is made, so that the Contractor has a reasonable opportunity to inspect the damage in place. In no event may a claim be made later than May 1 following the season in which the damage is alleged to have occurred. Claims not reported within these periods are waived.
14. RENTAL, BUSINESS USE, AND MULTI-OCCUPANT PROPERTIES
The Client shall notify the Contractor, before the season begins or before service starts on a mid-season account, if the property is a rental, is used for a business, or is otherwise open to tenants, customers, employees, or members of the public. The Contractor may reprice or decline the account on that basis.
IF THE PROPERTY IS USED FOR A BUSINESS, IS A RENTAL, OR IS OPEN TO TENANTS, CUSTOMERS, EMPLOYEES, OR THE PUBLIC, THE CLIENT SHALL DEFEND, INDEMNIFY, AND HOLD HARMLESS ALASKA SHEAR & PLOW AND ITS OWNERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AND SUBCONTRACTORS FROM AND AGAINST ALL THIRD-PARTY CLAIMS, DEMANDS, SUITS, LOSSES, DAMAGES, JUDGMENTS, AND COSTS, INCLUDING REASONABLE ATTORNEY FEES, FOR BODILY INJURY, DEATH, OR PROPERTY DAMAGE ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO SNOW OR ICE CONDITIONS AT THE PROPERTY OR TO THE SERVICES PERFORMED UNDER THIS AGREEMENT.
THIS OBLIGATION APPLIES REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE CLAIM IS ALLEGED TO ARISE IN PART FROM THE CONTRACTOR'S NEGLIGENCE, EXCEPT THAT IT DOES NOT APPLY TO THE EXTENT A CLAIM IS CAUSED BY THE SOLE NEGLIGENCE OR WILLFUL MISCONDUCT OF ALASKA SHEAR & PLOW. THIS EXCEPTION IS INCLUDED TO COMPLY WITH ALASKA LAW GOVERNING INDEMNITY AGREEMENTS AND IS INTENDED TO BE READ AS NARROWLY AS ALASKA LAW ALLOWS. THE CLIENT'S DUTY TO DEFEND ARISES ON TENDER AND IS INDEPENDENT OF THE DUTY TO INDEMNIFY.
15. GOVERNING LAW AND VENUE
This agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Alaska. Venue for any dispute is the Superior Court for the State of Alaska, Third Judicial District at Kenai.
16. ENTIRE AGREEMENT
The Contractor may perform any part of the services through qualified subcontractors. These terms and the accepted quote are the entire agreement between the parties and replace any prior discussions. Changes are effective only in writing. If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions stay in effect, and Sections 7, 8, 9, 13, and 14 survive termination.