Snow & Ice Removal

During any snowstorm, it is the City's principal desire to keep the primary streets and intersections clear and safe. Examples of primary streets include Reed Hartman Highway, Cooper, Hunt, Kenwood, Pfeiffer/Glendale-Milford, Cornell, Creek, and Plainfield. Second priority is then given to residential and other side streets which have significant hills (such as Mohler, Waxwing, Lobelia, Bluewing Terrace, Chimney Hill, and Oakhurst).

City crews will continuously plow/salt City streets, beginning with the primary streets and then moving on to the remaining areas. For  your safety, please keep a safe distance behind snow plow trucks. When shoveling your driveway, please do not shovel snow onto the street at the end of your driveway, but instead pile it on the sides of your driveway.

For a typical snowfall of less than four inches, all streets within the City should be plowed within 24 hours after snow ceases to fall. Please keep in mind that traffic congestion, vehicles parked on the street, and equipment breakdown hinder efforts. Questions regarding snow & ice concerns should be directed to:  Service Department Center at (513) 686-1250 during the hours of 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM, Monday-Friday; after hours and weekends, please call the Blue Ash Police Department at (513) 745-8555.

City of Blue Ash Snow Emergency Procedure

When winter weather strikes in the City of Blue Ash, residents should follow Hamilton County guidelines and recommendations to stay safe.

Under Ohio Law, the Hamilton County Sheriff has the responsibility to monitor snow conditions and to declare a “Snow Emergency” when it has been determined that use of highways/roadways by motorists is a threat to maintaining the public peace. There are three levels that may be issued:

• Snow Alert Level One: Roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Roads may also be icy. Motorists are urged to drive very cautiously. No roadways are closed but unnecessary travel is discouraged.
• Snow Advisory Level Two: Roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Roads may also be very icy. Only those who feel it is necessary to drive should be out on the roads. All employees should contact their employer to see if they should report to work.
• Snow Emergency Level Three: Ice, blowing and drifting snow has created extremely hazardous road conditions. Low visibility, extremely low temperatures, and worsening road conditions have caused the closing of all or certain County roads to all but emergency and essential persons. No one should be on roadways unless absolutely necessary. All employees should contact their employer to see if they should report to work. Those traveling on the roads may subject themselves to arrest.

Here are the ways you can find out when these snow levels have been issued:

• Sign up for Alert HC. This is highly recommended. Alert HC is a notification system provided by the Hamilton County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency. Sign up now to receive email and text message alerts regarding snow levels and other types of emergencies. 
• Follow the Hamilton County EMA on Facebook and Twitter. 
• Tune in to local news media sources (TV, radio) and/or follow local news sources on social media. 

The Blue Ash City Manager may also issue snow emergency declarations for the City. This will likely only be done after a Level Three Snow Emergency has already been declared by the Sheriff. A Blue Ash Level Three Snow Emergency declaration would grant the Police Department the authority to issue citations or make arrests for those driving unlawfully. It would also allow fines to be issued for vehicles parked on City streets. When the City issues a snow emergency declaration, you will find it at blueash.com and on our social media pages.  When the City has not declared a snow emergency, residents should follow the County recommendations as outlined above.