City Announces Snow Procedures and Notification Systems for Winter 2023-24

The City of Portsmouth Department of Public Works is already in the process of preparing for the Winter 2023-24 season and reports some new procedures and tips for ensuring safe winter weather operations for drivers, pedestrians, and City staff.

For this season the following trash collection cancellation notification procedure will be followed: If the National Weather Service issues a Winter Weather Advisory (forecasting accumulations of 3 to 5 inches of snow within the next 12 hours, or accumulating sleet, or freezing rain), there will be no trash collection on the following day. The next collection would then be made the following week on the normally scheduled day. The goal is to notify residents of the cancellation on the evening before their scheduled trash pickup so they can remove obstructions from streets and sidewalks.

DPW and the Portsmouth Police Department will continue to utilize the Smart911 alert system that sends text, email, voicemail, and Facebook notifications. Snow parking announcements are issued ahead of an anticipated snow parking ban; alerts are issued when the parking ban goes into effect. All notifications will be distributed through Smart911 and the Snow Phone. To sign- up to receive Smart911 notifications, go to the subscription page.

Portsmouth’s snow plowing operations typically begin when snow accumulation exceeds two inches, at which time a Citywide parking ban may go into effect to facilitate snow removal.

Residents can take advantage of spaces in designated City parking lots and garages when the parking bans are in effect. Under a declared parking ban, the flat parking rate at Hanover Garage is $5 per exit and at Foundry Garage $3 per exit. These rates are good from the time an “anticipated ban” is announced until 2 hours after the ban is cancelled. Go to more information on parking ban logistics and available City parking lots. portsnh.co/snowimpacts.

Parking bans for snow removal are announced in several different ways:

• Smart911: anyone can sign up to receive automatic email, voicemail, or text alerts, : portsnh.co/smart911;
• Snow Phone: call (603) 766-7669 (SNO-SNOW) to hear recorded messages;
• City website:  portsnh.co/snowimpacts;
• Channel 22: Bulletin directs residents to Snow Phone;
• Facebook: @CityHallPortsmouthNH; and
• Public Works Department: call (603) 427-1530 or report a snow clearing issue using the Click ‘n Fix reporting system.

“We understand how challenging and inconvenient a parking ban is for many residents. The Department of Public Works does not want to tow vehicles from the street but can be forced to do so to perform snow removal during significant storms,” noted DPW Director Peter Rice. “We also want to be sure residents and City staff are safe when it comes to trash pickup during a snowstorm. When the National Weather Service issues a Winter Storm Advisory, that is our signal that plowable snow is expected within the window of our trash collection services and that to conduct trash collection would be hazardous.”

Go to more information on snow preparedness portsnh.co/snowimpacts.