Key takeaways
- Markers before the freeze. Stakes push into soft ground; after the median first hard freeze (November 8 at Detroit Metro) they can need a drill.
- Clear the edges. Hoses, planters, solar lights and decorations near the driveway get buried and caught by a blade.
- Leaves off the lawn, so snow piled on the grass does not sit on a matted layer until spring.
- Tell the crew what is under the snow: pavers, lighting, a new lawn, a septic riser, a curb that sticks out.
On this page
Why fall is the time
The ground is still soft enough for markers, the edges are still visible, and nothing is buried yet. At Detroit Metro Airport the median first hard freeze (28°F) is November 8 and the median first snow of two inches or more is December 12; last year the first two-inch snow came on November 9.
1. Clear the leaves
Plowed snow lands on the lawn beside the driveway, often in a pile that lasts until March. Leaves under that pile mat down and smother the grass. Clear them, or mow a thin layer in, before the first snow. See the fall cleanup checklist.
2. Put in driveway markers
Markers show the plow where the pavement ends and the lawn, beds and curbs begin. Put them in along both edges, at corners and at anything that sticks out, while the soil is soft. See driveway markers and snow stakes for spacing and height.
3. Clear the edges
- Hoses and reels off the driveway side.
- Planters, decorations and solar lights back from the edge or put away.
- Low landscape lighting marked, or noted for the crew.
- Kids’ toys and bikes put away before they freeze into a snowbank.
4. Check the mailbox and shrubs
A loose mailbox post fails the first time heavy plowed snow hits it. Fix it now, while the ground can be dug. Wrap or tie up shrubs beside the driveway that get buried by plowed snow. See protecting shrubs from snow damage and what to do when a plow damages a mailbox.
4a. Edges, curbs and gravel
Where the driveway meets the lawn without a curb, the plow cannot tell where one ends and the other begins, which is how the first strip of sod gets peeled up. Markers solve most of it. On gravel driveways, ask whether your company plows with the blade raised slightly, which leaves a thin layer of snow but keeps the gravel off the lawn. If plowing does tear up turf, the fix is a spring job; see repairing snow plow lawn damage.
4b. Know where the snow will go
Think about where plowed snow will pile before the first storm: not on top of shrubs, not against the house, not blocking a fire hydrant or the view at the end of the driveway, and not in the street. See where to pile snow at home.
5. Tell your snow company what is under the snow
Pavers, stamped concrete, a new driveway, lighting, a septic riser, a curb that juts out: say so when you book, so it goes on the crew’s notes before the first storm.
How we handle it
If you are on our snow route, tell us about anything hidden when you book and it goes on your stop notes. If the leaves are still down, a fall cleanup clears them before the first snow. Past a 2-inch trigger you are dispatched automatically; see residential snow removal.
Sources
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers, ACIS daily records for Detroit Metro Airport (DTW), falls of 1996 to 2025; our count of the first 32°F and 28°F lows each fall
- University of Illinois Extension: preventing winter damage to lawns — snow mold, leaves left on turf and fall mowing
- MSU Extension: it’s not too late to mulch fallen leaves into lawns — up to 6 inches of leaves mulched at a time, depending on the mower
- Macomb County Public Works: Drain Dos and Don'ts
Written by the Macomb Lawn & Snow Solutions team in Macomb Township, Michigan. We do fall cleanups and lawn work near our routes, and plow and salt homes and businesses across all 26 Macomb County communities, November 15 to April 15. Published October 15, 2026. About us · How we research these guides · How our dispatch works