Boston Snow Emergency Guide: Parking Bans, Space Savers, Shoveling Fines and Discount Garages

November is here, and Boston’s winter rules are already on the books. When the mayor declares a snow emergency, cars parked on posted main streets are ticketed and towed, space savers become legal for a limited time, and property owners have three hours after the snow stops to clear their sidewalks or face daily fines. This Boston snow emergency guide pulls the City of Boston’s current rules into one place, with a look at which neighborhoods have the most restricted streets.

What a Boston snow emergency means for your car

A declared snow emergency is about keeping main roads open for plows and emergency vehicles. The city’s snow emergency parking page says it will ticket and tow any car parked on a posted snow emergency artery while the emergency is in effect. The signs on the street are the final word: the city publishes a map and a list of restricted streets, but it tells drivers to always check the posted signs where they park.

Even on streets without a ban, the city asks drivers to park at least 20 feet from intersections and no more than one foot from the curb, and not to block sidewalks, hydrants, ramps or driveways. Before starting a car that has been buried, clear at least one foot of snow from around the muffler; a blocked tailpipe can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.

If a car does get towed, the city’s guide points drivers to its online towing database and the Boston Police tow line at 617-343-4629. The City of Boston tow lot can be reached at 617-635-3900.

Boston snow emergency streets by neighborhood

The Boston Report counted the city’s published list of restricted streets, which is grouped by neighborhood. It contains 290 street listings across 20 neighborhoods, plus 10 state-owned roads, such as the Jamaicaway, Gallivan Boulevard and William J. Day Boulevard, that appear in a separate table. Long roads that cross neighborhood lines, like Blue Hill Avenue or Washington Street, are listed under each neighborhood they pass through, so the total counts listings rather than unique streets (TBR calculations from city data).

Dorchester has the longest list, with 32 streets, or 11% of all listings. Charlestown and Roxbury follow with 27 each, and Downtown and South Boston have 23 each. Those five neighborhoods account for 132 listings, or 45.5% of the citywide total. At the other end, the South End and Beacon Hill have four restricted streets each, and Chinatown-Leather District has three.

A smaller neighborhood can still have a long list. Charlestown has as many restricted streets as Roxbury, because roads such as Bunker Hill Street, Main Street, Medford Street and Rutherford Avenue all carry the restriction. Drivers in neighborhoods with many arteries should plan where to move their car before a storm, not after the ban starts.

Discounted garages and free lots

Residents who can’t find a legal spot can use participating lots and garages at a reduced snow emergency rate. Parking may begin two hours before a declared snow emergency, and the car must be moved within two hours after the city lifts the ban, or the garage’s standard rate applies. Most discounts require a Boston resident parking sticker or proof of address, and many are limited to residents of specific neighborhoods.

Rates vary widely on the city’s list. Several downtown and Back Bay garages charge $10 to $14 for each 24-hour period. Some municipal lots charge nothing, including lots on Market Street and Harvard Avenue listed under Allston-Brighton and several lots listed under Dorchester. In Charlestown, the MGH Shipyard Garage on 13th Street is free for residents but limited to 250 vehicles, and in South Boston the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center’s South Parking Lot is free for Seaport and South Boston residents. Check the conditions for each garage before you go, since some charge every time a car exits and re-enters.

Space savers: the 48-hour rule

Boston’s best-known winter custom has written limits. The city says a space saver, such as a cone or trash barrel used to hold a spot you dug out, is allowed only when the city has declared a snow emergency. Once the emergency ends, residents have 48 hours to take it off the street. Space savers are banned entirely in the South End and Bay Village.

Shoveling rules and fines

Property owners, businesses and residents must clear snow, sleet and ice from the sidewalks and curb ramps next to their property within three hours after it stops snowing, or within three hours after sunrise if it snowed overnight. The cleared path must be at least 42 inches wide so people using wheelchairs and strollers can get through. The city says it tries to be reasonable about when the clock starts and that its goal is safe sidewalks, not fines.

Under Boston’s ordinance on snow removal, each day a violation continues counts as a separate violation. The city’s fine schedule is below.

Source: City of Boston, Rules on clearing snow.

Those complaints add up. The Boston Report’s analysis of Boston 311 data found 12,724 snow plowing requests and 11,731 unshoveled sidewalk complaints from Jan. 1 to Oct. 29, 2026, almost all of them in January and February.

Plowing, trash day and staying warm

Boston Public Works says it plows and de-ices 2,000 lane miles across 200 plowing routes during a storm, starting with main routes such as Blue Hill, Commonwealth and Hyde Park avenues. Highways like I-93 are cleared by MassDOT, and parkways like Storrow Drive and Morrissey Boulevard by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. If you think a plow missed your street, report it to 311.

On trash day, the city asks residents to put bins out as late as possible, but no later than 6 a.m., and never behind snowbanks or parked cars, so crews can see them.

The heating season also matters for renters. Under the rules the city summarizes, landlords must heat living spaces to at least 68 degrees from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and at least 64 degrees overnight, from Sept. 15 to June 15. Tenants with no heat and an unresponsive landlord can call Inspectional Services at 617-635-5300. Help with heating bills through the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program runs from Nov. 1 to April 30, and Action for Boston Community Development handles applications in the city. For what this winter’s bills may look like, see our report on Massachusetts winter gas rates, and for the season ahead, our Boston winter outlook for 2026-27.

How to get snow emergency alerts

The city urges residents to sign up for AlertBoston, its emergency notification system, and posts snow emergency updates on its winter guide page. When the mayor declares a snow emergency, BCYF community centers can also open as warming centers during their normal hours, with locations posted at boston.gov/bcyf. For non-emergencies, including missed plowing and unshoveled sidewalks, call 311 or use the BOS:311 app; for emergencies, call 911.

Sources

• City of Boston: Snow Emergency Parking (restricted streets and discounted garages)
• City of Boston: What to Do With Your Car When It Snows
• City of Boston: Rules on Clearing Snow
• City of Boston: Managing Winter and Snow

Additional sources

• City of Boston: Winter Weather Trash and Recycling Tips
• City of Boston: Help During the Winter Heating Season
• Analyze Boston, the city’s open data portal (311 service requests)