Snow & Ice · Statewide
1-inch vs 2-inch snow triggers: how to pick the right one
Trigger depth is the accumulation at which your contractor is obligated to service the property. It is the single setting that most changes what you pay across a Wisconsin winter, because it determines how many of the season's small events become billable services.
5 min read · Updated September 2026
Why the number matters so much
Wisconsin winters produce many more small events than large ones. A 1-inch trigger captures most of them; a 2-inch trigger skips a large share. On a per-push contract, that difference is the difference between two very different season totals on the same property.
On a seasonal contract the trigger still matters — it defines what the contractor priced, and a low trigger raises the seasonal rate accordingly.
When a 1-inch trigger is the right call
A tight trigger buys consistency. The surface rarely gets to a state that requires a harder recovery, and entrances stay usable through the small events that generate most slip complaints.
- Heavy pedestrian traffic, especially with older or mobility-limited visitors
- Medical, senior living, childcare and public buildings
- Sloped lots and ramps where even light accumulation becomes slick
- Sites with early-morning shift starts before conditions are visible
When a 2-inch trigger is reasonable
A higher trigger is defensible on properties where light accumulation is a nuisance rather than a hazard, and where deicing can carry the small events.
- Warehouse, industrial and low-pedestrian sites
- Overflow and employee-only parking areas
- Properties where entrances and walks are separately contracted at a tighter trigger
- Budgets that prioritize predictable spend over maximum coverage
Zone your triggers instead of setting one number
The most defensible structure for most commercial sites is mixed: a tight trigger or continuous service on entrances, ADA routes and walks, and a higher trigger on the open lot. Nearly all of the liability sits in the first category and most of the cost sits in the second.
Whatever you choose, get three things in writing: how accumulation is measured, where it is measured, and what happens during a long event that crosses the trigger more than once. Ambiguity on those three points causes most snow-season billing disputes.
Frequently asked
What is a snow trigger depth?
It is the accumulation level at which the contractor is obligated to service your property. Common commercial triggers are 1 inch and 2 inches, and the number should be stated in the contract along with how and where it is measured.
Does a 1-inch trigger cost more than 2 inches?
Yes. Wisconsin produces many more small events than large ones, so a 1-inch trigger converts far more of the season into billable services on a per-push contract, and raises the rate on a seasonal contract.
Can walks and the parking lot have different triggers?
Yes, and for most commercial properties they should. Entrances, walks and ADA routes carry most of the liability and warrant a tighter trigger or continuous service; open parking can usually run higher.
What happens during a storm that keeps snowing?
That should be written into the contract. Long events can cross the trigger repeatedly, and the agreement should state whether that is one service or several, and how it is billed.
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