With winter officially here, the Marion County Road Department reminds residents throughout the county to be aware of snow ordinances.

The snow ordinance for Marion County states that snow from private drives shall not be placed on the roadway or shoulders, and that it is not the policy of the county to sand and salt roads that are slick, slippery, or dangerous due to the formation of frost. Drivers are also encouraged to use extreme caution when frost could be present and to travel at an appropriate speed for the conditions of the road. 

The ordinance also states that motor graders and snow plows will not be in operation after 8:00 PM and not begin before 4:00 AM.  If conditions are too hazardous, snow removal operations may be suspended until the County Engineer deems it safe to resume. Roads may only have one lane plowed for a period of time and after all roads have been opened to two-lane travel, snow removal will only be carried out during normal working hours. Marion County Engineer Tyler Christian also highlights the policies surrounding mailboxes.

“Mailboxes is a common question that we get. Mailboxes that are knocked over from the force of snow people thrown from the plow are not the responsibility of Marion County. However, if we inadvertently hit one with a plow or back over one we will replace those.”

Find the complete snow ordinance for Marion County here. Here more from Christian on this weekend’s In Touch with South Central Iowa.