Snow removal in Montréal: the signs, the tow trucks, and finding your car

Guide · Checked against the City's pages on November 10, 2026

After a big snowfall, the City loads the snow into trucks and hauls it away, street by street. A car left in the way is towed. In general, night-ban signs go up the same day before 3 p.m., and day-ban signs go up the day before, before 8 p.m. Below: the boroughs that do it their own way, the tow trucks, and how to get your car back.

City of Montréal only, for now. More cities to come.

How to know your street is next

The City starts loading once 10 to 15 cm of snow is on the ground. Before a street is cleared, temporary no-parking signs go up on it. Three City tools tell you more:

• The 311 Montréal app. It shows the progress of snow loading in every borough. Register where your car is parked and the app notifies you when that street's status changes. It also sends a notification 60 minutes before a snow-loading operation.
• The snow removal operations map. It shows when your street is planned to be cleared, and the incentive lots where you can park without paying during the operation. The City notes that its data is only available during snow-loading periods.
• The signs on your street. The City says they always take precedence over its map and its website.

The temporary signs, and when they apply

The signs give a no-parking period. In general, there are two:

In Le Sud-Ouest, for example, the signs are orange. Lachine uses two colours: yellow for a night ban (7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) and orange for a day ban (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.).

A temporary sign takes priority over the permanent parking signs on the same street, and the permanent signs still have to be obeyed.

Some boroughs do it their own way:

If your car is still there

Tow trucks drive by first and sound an audible warning to remind drivers who haven't moved. The City says this is meant to cut down on tickets and speed things up.

After that, the City is plain about it: if you don't follow the signs, your car will be towed and you will be fined. Le Sud-Ouest estimates that each tow holds up the operation by 10 to 15 minutes.

How to find a towed car

1. Open the City's Info-remorquage service.
2. Search by your licence plate number, or point on the map to where you had parked.
3. Having trouble online? Call the Agence de mobilité durable at 514-868-3737. Its staff can tell you where your car is.

If your car ended up at the pound, the owner pays the storage fees. If it was damaged during the tow, you can file a claim with the City.

Park so the plow can do its job

• Park 30 cm from the sidewalk.
• Fold back your rear-view mirrors.
• Don't park at an angle.

The City says that during snow loading, you may park at night without paying in spaces offered with the Agence de mobilité durable. The snow removal operations map shows where they are.

Where Panoui! fits

Panoui! reads the City of Montréal's open data on permanent parking signs and shows each known curb in the colour of its rule right now. It doesn't show snow-loading bans. For that, use the City's 311 Montréal app and snow map, and the signs on your street, which always win.

Questions drivers ask

When do snow removal signs go up in Montréal?

In general, signs for a night ban (7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) go up the same day before 3 p.m., and signs for a day ban (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) go up the day before, before 8 p.m. Anjou, Saint-Laurent, LaSalle, Verdun and Pierrefonds-Roxboro do it their own way.

How do I find my car after it was towed?

Use the City's Info-remorquage service with your licence plate number, or point on its map to where you parked. You can also call the Agence de mobilité durable at 514-868-3737.

The plow already went by. Can I park again?

Follow the sign, not the plow. Le Sud-Ouest asks drivers not to park until the signs have been taken down, even if the plow has already passed.

Next: how to read a Montréal parking sign.