Call 911 in life threatening emergencies. Law enforcement and emergency responders are equipped to handle emergency calls quicker than the Roads Division. The Roads Division will be contacted by law enforcement or emergency response personnel if an emergency vehicle needs assistance to maneuver on a snow or ice-covered road.

Both the State of Maryland and Charles County have designated certain roads as snow emergency routes which are prominently marked with signs. When the State and/or County initiates the snow emergency plan, it is illegal to drive without snow tires, mud/snow radials or chains, or to park on these roads. Vehicles without snow tires or chains found blocking snow routes during an emergency may be ticketed and towed at the owner's expense. State and County snow emergency plans may not be put into effect simultaneously; therefore, pay special attention to news broadcasts when announcements are made. State maintained highways can be identified because they have posted route numbers; County roads do not.

• Be familiar with the National Weather Service terminology for winter storm warnings 
• Service your snow removal equipment and have rock salt, cat litter, or sand available to generate temporary traction
• If you must drive, equip your vehicle with snow tires or chains. Please do not risk getting stuck, damaging your vehicle, blocking traffic and snow removal equipment, or incurring towing and impound fees
• A road that has been salted is safer than one not salted. Please do not pull out in front of trucks to get up a hill faster. It will be much easier after the truck has finished salting
• Make sure you have sufficient heating fuel (oil, propane, gas)
• Winterize your home: insulate attics and walls, caulk and weather strip doors, and install storm windows
• Have safe emergency heating equipment available (fireplace with amply dry firewood, portable space/kerosene heaters)
• Know how to shut off water valves to keep pipes from freezing
• Install and/or check smoke detectors and replace batteries if needed
• Have disaster supplies on hand in case the power goes out: flashlight, extra batteries, battery-operated radio, first-aid kit, one-week supply of food and essential medicine, fresh bottled water, non-electric can opener, extra blankets, and a fire extinguisher
• Develop an emergency family communication plan in case family members are separated (childcare, school, work)
• Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to serve as a family contact, especially after an advertised storm.

Charles County Department of Public Works Mailbox Policy No. R-09:
To read the policy in it's entirety, please click here.

Please contact the Roads Division at 301-932-3450 if your mailbox is damaged during snow removal operations. The Roads Division will investigate the claim to determine if the damage was caused by County maintenance equipment making physical contact with the mailbox. If it is determined the mailbox damage was at the fault of the County, the following options are available:

1. Replacement by the County of the existing mailbox with a standard wooden post and mailbox in compliance with County regulations (a copy of the regulations is on file in the Roads Division).
2. Citizens may be reimbursed at a flat rate of $50.00. It will be the responsibility of the citizen to replace the mailbox.

Mailboxes damaged by snow flowing from the plow will not be replaced or reimbursed.

You can report your damaged mailbox here.

Clearing driveways and entrances is the responsibility of the property owner. All residential and business owners are responsible for clearing sidewalks on their property. We appeal to our residents to clear sidewalks in front of their homes and businesses.

If you have a driveway, please use it. The more vehicles off the street, the better job we can do and the less likely it is that your vehicles will be plowed in, splashed by salt spray, or be damaged.

If you do not have a driveway, park as close to the curb as possible on ONE SIDE OF THE STREET. Park your car on the EVEN NUMBERED side of the street. Move to the other side of the street after the plow has cleared it.

To help avoid the frustration of having a snowplow cover your driveway with snow after you have cleared it, stand facing the street and shovel snow to the right onto your yard instead of onto the street.

Please watch the video below on how to properly shovel your driveway. 

Curious about what we pay? Click Here to check out our pricing! *NO MORE STANDBY*

Do you need to submit a Snow Invoice? Click Here to submit one online. *Please note, you will need to submit one snow ticket for each date/vehicle. * Click Here to print the Snow Invoice to mail, email, or fax.

Do you need to submit the end of the year Retainer Fee Invoice? Click Here to submit online. Click Here to print the Retainer Fee Invoice to mail, email, or fax.

Want Direct Deposit? You can Click Here to submit online for direct Deposit. Click Here to print the Paymode Form to mail, email, or fax.

Mail:

Charles County Government

Attn: Jessie Settle

1001 Radio Station Road

La Plata, MD 20646

Email: settlej@charlescountymd.gov

Fax: (301) 932-3564

To better serve and inform you, the Charles County Public Works Roads Division has developed the following Snow Response Target Time for County roads:

Primary & Major Residential Roads

3 to 4 inches of snow - Passable within 12 hours
5 to 7 inches of snow - Passable within 18 to 24 hours
8 to 10 inches of snow - Passable within 24 to 36 hours
11 to 15 inches of snow - Passable within 36 to 48 hours
24 inches of snow - Passable within 48 to 60 hours

Minor Residential Roads & Cul-de-sacs

3 to 4 inches of snow - 1 pass made within 12 hours
5 to 7 inches of snow - 1 pass made within 18 hours
8 to 10 inches of snow - 1 pass made within 24 hours
11 to 15 inches of snow - 1 pass made within 36 hours
24 inches of snow - 1 pass made within 48 hours

All roads will be plowed to bare pavement as soon as possible after a storm has ended. A storm had "ended" when wind has diminished and temperatures start to rise above freezing.  

Passable is not considered bare pavement.

Plowing generally begins with an accumulation of snow between 1" and 3" deep.

Please note, the type of snow (wet or powdery), the temperature, and wind conditions following a storm can alter this schedule. 

**Our trucks cannot plow through if vehicles are parked on the street. When a storm is predicted, always park your vehicles in the driveway!**

Charles County hires approximately 100 private contractors to assist in the plowing and salting of County roads. These contractors utilize dump trucks, farm tractors, 4x4 pickup trucks, and backhoes. You may not see a white County truck on your road but that is not an indication that the road was not treated. Many residential roads are only accessible by our contractor vehicles which do not have County markings.  

All numbered roads (i.e. Rt 301) in the County are state roads and are cleared by the Maryland State Highway Administration.  

Private roads are marked with a small diamond in the upper right-hand corner of the sign. These roads are the responsibility of the homeowners and are NOT plowed by the County.

Click here to determine who owns and maintains a specific road located in Charles County.