Ohio does not license snow removal contractors, and almost no city in this metro registers them. Cleveland Heights does. Chapter 751 of its Codified Ordinances requires commercial snow removal contractors to hold a city permit, post a $10,000 surety bond and carry continuous insurance — and to refile every year.
Cleveland Heights Codified Ordinances Chapter 751 is titled “Commercial Snow Removal and Commercial Landscaping.” Its structure:
| Section | Subject |
|---|---|
| § 751.01 | Definitions |
| § 751.02 | Permit required; application; fees |
| § 751.03 | Bond required — $10,000 surety bond |
| § 751.04 | Continuous insurance required |
| § 751.05 | Snow removal vehicles; safety equipment |
| § 751.06 | Prohibited acts |
| § 751.07 | Distribution of rules and regulations |
| § 751.99 | Penalty |
The verified specifics, from the surety underwriters who write this exact bond: the bond is $10,000 under § 751.03, the typical premium runs around $100 a year (roughly $175 for two years or $250 for three), registrations expire December 31 annually and a new permit and bond must be filed each year, and the bond guarantees that the contractor completes the work and prohibits dumping snow or yard waste on public roads or private property. The bond is filed with the City of Cleveland Heights as part of the contractor packet.
§ 751.02 sets a permit fee and § 751.04 sets insurance limits. Neither could be retrieved from a primary source — the code library’s deep-linked section pages redirect to the chapter overview, and the city’s own site blocks automated access. Rather than publish a plausible figure for either, this page says so.
If you need the current fee or the required limits, call the Cleveland Heights Building Department at 216-291-4900 and ask. That is a two-minute call and it produces an answer that is actually right for this year, which is more than any website in this market can promise.
Everywhere else in Northeast Ohio, verifying a snow contractor means asking for a certificate of insurance and trusting it, because there is no state license for snow removal — the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board covers electrical, HVAC, plumbing, hydronics and refrigeration, and nothing else.
In Cleveland Heights there is a second check: the operator working a commercial property in that city should be currently registered, currently bonded and currently insured with the city, and that registration is refreshed every December 31. An operator who cannot say whether they are on the list is telling you something.
One thing not to conclude from this page. No equivalent ordinance was found in Cleveland, Shaker Heights, Solon, Strongsville, Westlake, Mentor or Chagrin Falls — but that is absence of evidence, not evidence of absence. Cleveland Heights is the one this research surfaced, not provably the only one that exists.
What Ohio does and does not license → · What it costs in Cleveland Heights →
Ask whether the operator is registered and bonded with the city for the current year. It is the one credential in this trade that can actually be checked.
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