Who we insure · Walks, entrances & ramps
Insurance for Sidewalk & Salting Crews
The lot gets plowed once. The walk, steps and ramp get salted and re-checked all storm, because that's where the pedestrians are. When one of them falls, the crew that treated the surface can end up in the lawsuit next to the owner.
Send a sample treatment log with your policy.
| Time | Pavement | Conditions | Action | Salt | Init |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22:10 | 29°F | Light snow, trace | Pretreat walks, ramp | 40 lb | JM |
| 01:30 | 27°F | 1.0 in, falling | Shovel entrance, salt | 60 lb | JM |
| 05:45 | 25°F | Stopped 05:00 | Clear walks, steps, ramp | 80 lb | AR |
| 19:30 | 28°F | Refreeze | Salt ramp, steps | 30 lb | AR |
Who This Is For
Crews that clear and treat the surfaces people walk on.
Storefront and office entrances, medical walks, apartment paths, steps, ramps and curb cuts. Some run their own accounts; many work under a plow contractor.
Your client's duty dates to Mirza v. Filmore Corp., 92 N.J. 390 (1983): a commercial owner must remove or reduce snow and ice on the abutting public sidewalk within a reasonable time after notice. Once you're hired to do that work, your log becomes the evidence.
Why Salt Crews Get Named
What Gallardo decided in 2026
On January 3, 2015, a customer fell in Walmart's Union Township lot about two hours into a mixed-precipitation storm, with a trace to a tenth of an inch down. Walmart's contractor, Land Pros of New Jersey, had salted the lots and walks without pretreating. The trial court dismissed the claims against Land Pros, a jury found Walmart negligent, and the judgment came to $1,328,658.59. On July 30, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 4–3 in Gallardo v. Walmart that salting that minimal accumulation mid-storm was not an "unusual circumstance," and ordered judgment for Walmart.
The case turned on what the salt crew did. The majority left open whether an owner is liable for its contractor's conduct, and whether the ongoing storm rule reaches private parking lots.
Source: Gallardo v. Walmart, A-65-24, Supreme Court of New Jersey, decided July 30, 2026.
The ongoing storm rule and its exceptions
Pareja v. Princeton International Properties, 246 N.J. 546 (2021), puts a commercial owner's snow duty after the storm, not during it, with two exceptions: conduct that increases the risk, and a risk that existed before the storm, like ice from an earlier one. Juries still decide when a storm ended, which is why your timestamps matter.
Applicator protection: pending here, law in New Hampshire
New Jersey has no salt-applicator liability law. S2061 and A3694, introduced January 13, 2026 and in committee, would create a voluntary DEP registration program and shield registered applicators from snow and ice hazard claims on private property they maintain by the trained methods, except for reckless, wanton or intentional misconduct. They are pending bills, not law.
New Hampshire enacted its version. Its optional Green SnowPro certification (RSA 489-C) pairs with RSA 508:22, which limits liability for certified applicators and the owners whose premises they maintain, for hazards caused solely by snow or ice, if state best practices were followed without gross negligence or reckless disregard and written records were kept.
Sources: NJ Legislature, S2061 and A3694 (2026–2027); N.H. RSA 489-C and 508:22; NH Department of Environmental Services.
This is general information, not legal advice; talk to your own attorney about any claim.
Clear-By Clocks in Eight Towns
Ordinances bind the owner. Your contract binds you, so its clock should beat the town's.
| Town | Clock | When it starts | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hoboken | 6 hours | "After every fall of snow"; path of 4 ft or 2/3 of the walk, whichever is greater | § 168-8A |
| Jersey City | 4 h commercial, 8 h residential | After snow stops; overnight snow counts from sunrise; commercial parking spaces too | Ord. 17-173; City OEM guidance |
| Newark | 12 h of daylight | After snow or ice falls or forms | § 29:17-1 |
| Paterson | 12 h of daylight | After snow or ice falls or forms | § 435-103 |
| Toms River | 12 h of daylight | Sidewalks and "contiguous pedestrian areas" | § 450-4 |
| Morristown | 12 hours | After the storm ends; 9 p.m. to midnight endings get until noon | Ch. 18 |
| Princeton | 24 hours | After snow stops; non-residential zones clear building to curb | Ch. T19, Art. IX |
| Cherry Hill | 48 hours | After snow stops; driveways and parking lots too | Ch. 15, Art. V |
Mirza called the statutory "12 hours of daylight" an indication of a reasonable time, not the legal standard (N.J.S.A. 40:65-12).
What to Write Down Every Event
Required in New Hampshire, proposed in New Jersey, recommended by SIMA.
| Record | NH RSA 508:22 (law) | NJ S2061 (pending) | SIMA-10-2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| When | Dates of treatment | Dates of service | Start and end times |
| Material | Type, rate or quantity | Types and amounts | Types and amounts |
| Weather | Each event | Not listed | At time of service |
| Method and site | Not listed | Methods; property description | Site condition; GPS if used |
Add pavement temperature and photos, but SIMA warns against relying on photos or GPS alone.
Coverage Priority for Walk Crews
The walk is where the claim starts, so liability leads.
| Coverage | Why it ranks here | Check your policy |
|---|---|---|
| General liability → | Snow exclusions are written to reach shoveling and salting, not only plowing. | Is walk treatment in the description of operations? |
| Contracts & certificates → | Ongoing-operations status (CG 20 10) ends when the walk is done; a later fall needs completed operations (CG 20 37). | Does the certificate show both? |
| Workers' compensation → | Shovelers slip too, and New Jersey has no seasonal exemption. | Is every walk-crew hire in the payroll? |
| Commercial auto → | Business auto physical damage covers a covered auto "or its equipment." | Is the spreader declared? |
| Contractor's equipment → | Walk-behind spreaders move site to site. | Are small machines scheduled? |
| Umbrella & excess → | Clients may contract for higher limits. | Does any contract call for one? |
What Underwriters Ask
Routine more than equipment.
- Which surfaces you treatWalks, steps, ramps, entrances, curb cuts.
- Trigger and re-check routineRefreeze checks included.
- Material and methodRock salt, liquids, pretreatment.
- Who you work forDirect accounts, or under a plow contractor.
Salt Crew Questions
Can I be sued if all I did was salt the walk?
Yes. In Gallardo v. Walmart (2026) the salting contractor was a defendant, and even after the trial court dismissed it, the case went to the Supreme Court over what that salting did. Have your policy and your logs ready before the storm, and talk to your own attorney about any claim.
Does the ongoing storm rule cover parking lots as well as sidewalks?
Not settled. Gallardo's majority applied it to a lot because both sides agreed, without deciding the question; three dissenters said sidewalks only. An unpublished 2023 Appellate Division opinion applied it to a private lot, but unpublished opinions aren't precedent. Ask your own attorney.
Whose deadline is the town's clear-by time, mine or the owner's?
The ordinances above put it on the owner, occupant or tenant, and one unpublished appellate panel held a town code didn't reach the snow contractor. Your duty comes from your contract, so set its clear-by times to meet the town's clock.
Read Next
Law, policy, contract chain.
- New Jersey snow removal laws →Mirza, Pareja and Gallardo in plain English
- General liability →Walk treatment and completed work
- Subcontractors →The walk crew under a plow contractor
We write walk and salting crews from Newark, Jersey City and Hoboken to Paterson and Bergen County, Morristown and the Northwest Highlands, Princeton and Central Jersey, Toms River and the shore and Cherry Hill and South Jersey.
Get the Walk Crew on the Right Policy
Upload your policy and one client contract. We'll check the walk work is covered.