Winter Road & Plowing Info

The Public Works Department would like to pass on a few friendly reminders for the winter season:

1. Freeport residents are allowed two 5-gallon buckets of sand per storm. Sand is now located adjacent to the silver recycling bullet on Hunter Road in front of the Public Works Facility.
2. No parking is allowed on public streets nor in turnarounds during winter storm events - please keep streets and turnarounds clear of vehicles (including trailers, campers, etc.) during a storm. Our winter parking ban is in effect starting November 1, from 11 pm to 7 am, and will continue until April 15. For more information, see Town Ordinance Sections 48-208 and 48-209 (PDF).
3. For residents who park vehicles in driveways, please keep sidewalks clear so our sidewalk machines are not restricted in doing their job.
4. Please do not push snow into sidewalks or public streets as this is not only against Maine state law, it is also costly and time-consuming for the Public Works Department to send vehicles and manpower out to go back to clean up a street or sidewalk.
5. On a final note, please do not pile the snow from your driveway over the exposed ends of your driveway culvert - this tends to block the culvert from draining properly, allowing the snow to freeze inside the culvert. As the surrounding snow starts to melt, the water has nowhere else to go and will either back up onto your property or onto the roadway creating a water and ice hazard.

In addition, vehicles are prohibited from parking on any public street so as not to interfere with or hinder the removal of snow by the Town's plowing or snow removal operations. A vehicle so parked may be removed from the street by order of the Police Department, at the expense of the owner of such vehicle.

For any residents who have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the Public Works Department at (207) 865-4461. Thank you in advance for your cooperation!

Driveway Snow Removal

During the winter months, we know removing snow from the end of your driveway can be frustrating. The placement of snow at the end of your driveway cannot be avoided by our snow removal equipment. The following diagram shows what you can do to help keep this to a minimum. Also, we would like to remind you there is a state law (29A MRSA 2396) that prohibits pushing snow into the public way. This includes pushing snow across a public street. 

Winter Sand for Residents

Winter sand is available for residents' personal use (and is not allowed for contractor use). Each residential dwelling is eligible for up to 10 gallons of sand per storm. No stockpiling is allowed. Any resident assisting a fellow resident with sanding must provide the Public Works Department with written confirmation prior to taking additional materials. Taking pure rock salt is prohibited. The use of municipal sand for the sanding of private roads is prohibited.

The winter sand is available near the Public Works building at 7 Hunter Road.

Mailbox Damage

The Town of Freeport does its best during snowplow operations to avoid damaging any personal property. But anything erected or located within the Town's right-of-way is the property owner's responsibility to replace if damaged during normal snowplow operations. The Public Works Department is happy to work with you in locating areas for mailboxes, fences, etc., to minimize the chance of damage and to make sure the property is located safely. More detailed information about how to reduce mailbox damage is available here (PDF).

Sidewalk Snowplowing

The Town requires that business and property owners within the Village Commercial 1, 2, and 4 Zoning Districts maintain the public sidewalks in front of their property by keeping them clear of snow and ice. A copy of the Ordinance is available here. In addition, the Town plows snow on about 6 miles of sidewalks in other areas of town, including Holbrook Street, Morse Street, Elm Street, Kendall Lane, North Main Street, South Street, West Street, and part of Bow Street.