Key takeaways
- A plow cannot clear under a parked car, and crews leave a margin around it.
- Park in the garage or at the top of the driveway, never across the apron at the street.
- Keep cars off the street during snow emergencies; Sterling Heights can ticket and tow.
- Clear the tailpipe before starting a snowed-in car; carbon monoxide builds up fast inside.
On this page
Do you need to move your car for snow removal?
Yes, if you can. A plow cannot reach under a car, and a careful operator will not push a load of snow up to a bumper. What you get is a cleared driveway with an uncleared rectangle where the car sat, ridges of plowed snow along its sides, and sometimes a stretch of drive left undone because the truck could not get past.
That leftover snow does not go away on its own. Tires pack it, it refreezes overnight, and the rectangle becomes the icy patch everyone walks across for a week.
If a car cannot move, because it is snowed in or its driver is away with the keys, say so before the storm and plan to clear around it yourself afterward.
Why do crews keep their distance from parked cars?
- A loaded blade does not stop on a dime. On packed snow or ice, a truck pushing a full blade slides farther than anyone wants.
- Snow moves sideways. An angled blade rolls snow and slush off its end, toward whatever is beside it.
- Hidden hazards collect near cars: a dropped ice scraper, a shovel, a child's toy.
- A scraped door costs more than the visit, so experienced operators leave a margin and expect the last foot to be done by hand.
Where should you park on a storm night?
| Where | What happens |
|---|---|
| In the garage | Best. The whole driveway can be cleared |
| At the top of the driveway, near the garage | Good. The crew clears from the street up to the car; you finish around it |
| Lined up along one edge | Workable for two or three cars, if a full lane stays open |
| Across the apron at the street end | Worst. The truck may not be able to get in at all |
| On the street | The road plow has to go around it, and some cities ban it during snow emergencies |
Street parking during a storm deserves its own warning. Sterling Heights, for example, requires all vehicles off city streets during a declared snow emergency and can ticket and tow cars left behind. Rules differ by community; see snow emergency parking in Macomb County.
What if you have more than one car?
- Garage every car that fits, even if it means clearing out bikes and boxes in the fall.
- Line the rest up nose to tail along one edge at the top, leaving one full lane from the garage to the street.
- Never leave a car in the middle of a two-car-wide drive, where it blocks both lanes.
- Keep visitors' cars off the drive on nights snow is forecast.
- After the crew has been, move the outside car onto cleared pavement and shovel its rectangle before it freezes.
What should you tell your snow company?
Before the season, put it on your stop notes: how many cars usually stay outside, where they park, and the time anyone has to leave. See snow removal when you must leave by a set time. A crew that knows a car sits at the top of the drive works around it; a crew that finds one across the apron may have to skip the stop. Macomb Lawn & Snow Solutions records a skipped stop with the reason and gives it a return visit.
How do you dig out and start a snowed-in car safely?
- Clear the tailpipe first. The CDC warns that a blocked tailpipe lets carbon monoxide build up quickly inside the vehicle. Check it before anyone gets in and before you start the engine.
- Brush off the whole car: roof, hood, windows, mirrors and lights, so you can see and be seen, and so snow does not slide over the windshield when you brake.
- Never warm up a car in an attached garage, even with the door open. The CDC is specific about that.
- Clear the rectangle and the ridges while the snow is soft, and throw it onto your own lawn, not into the street, which Michigan law prohibits; see the windrow guide. If the car is stuck, see getting a car unstuck in the driveway.
Sources
- CDC: clear snow from tailpipes
- CDC: carbon monoxide poisoning basics — never run a car in an attached garage, even with the door open
- City of Sterling Heights: snow and ice removal program — vehicles off city streets during a declared snow emergency
Written by the Macomb Lawn & Snow Solutions team in Macomb Township, Michigan. We plow and salt homes and businesses across all 26 Macomb County communities, November 15 to April 15. Published October 5, 2026. About us · How we research these guides · How our dispatch works