The Department of Public Works is responsible for snow and ice control on County roads with the Division of Public Services performing the bulk of winter weather preparedness.

Our Policy

Each year as new streets are built, the snow routes are revised and more resources are needed to treat the roads in a timely manner. Streets are ranked on a priority list from one, or most urgent to three, least urgent. There are four hundred and twenty-five miles of road to be treated with thirty trucks. We must travel 1500 to 2000 miles to cover these roads and average about four to six hours to treat each inch of snow. Plowing takes a considerably longer time because of the precision and caution that must be taken to safely move the snow. Salt is the primary material that we use to treat the roads though in very rare situations we use a sand-salt mix. We treat all of the county roads while the City of Florence and City of Walton and State treat their designated roads.

Snow Emergencies

From Boone County's Snow Emergency Policy:

A Snow Emergency may be declared by the Boone County Judge-Executive directly or through the Boone County Emergency Management Office after consultation between the Boone County Emergency Management Office, the Boone County Public Works Department and the Boone County Sheriff Department.

Snow Emergencies shall be defined at one of the following levels:

Level One:    Roadways are hazardous with blowing and/or drifting snow, roadways may be icy. Motorists are advised to use caution due to hazardous road     conditions resulting from these conditions and possible accumulations of snow and/or ice.

Level Two:     Roadways are extremely hazardous due to accumulated or blowing snow and roadways may be icy. Only essential travel is advised.

Level Three:  Roadways are extremely dangerous and travel is restricted to the following: public safety and emergency personnel, travel to and from work if attendance is required by the employer and travel for medical purposes or to obtain necessary provisions. Travel for any other purposes is  considered to be non-essential and violations may be enforced by law enforcement personnel. Violators are subject to prosecution.

*During snow emergencies, where snowfall accumulation is two inches or greater, no vehicle may be parked and no person, corporation, partnership, joint venture, unincorporated association or any combination thereof may park or permit any vehicle to be parked upon any county road right of way. Vehicles not moved are subject to ticketing or being towed. 

**  The declaration of a snow emergency, at any level, shall not prohibit travel to and from work unless specifically outlined in the declaration of emergency. Citizens are urged to contact their employer to determine whether they should report to work.

Impediments to Timely Service

There are situations that slow down our response time such as are parked cars in the cul-de-sacs (though we have a county ordinance that deals with this problem), construction areas, and accidents. The more traffic on these roads, the higher chances are for accidents.

During snow emergencies where snowfall is two inches or greater, it is required that vehicles parked on the street be moved from the street to allow trucks to safely and effectively treat and/or plow the streets."

Who Plows What

It's important to understand which entity is responsible for salting and plowing each road. The State of Kentucky Department of Transportation covers all Interstates and state roads, such as KY 536 (Mt. Zion Road and Hathaway Road). The cities of Florence and Walton are responsible for all roads within their jurisdictions. Boone County Public Works is responsible for all roads within our borders that are not State or City roads.

Contacting the Entity in Charge of Your Street:

Entity Responsible..	Please Call..	Web Site
Kentucky DOT	859-341-2700	Click
Boone County Fiscal  Court	859-334-3600	Click
The City of Florence	859-647-5416	Click
The City of Union	859-384-1511	Click
The City of Walton	859-485-4383	Click

During Snow Emergencies it may be necessary for the Boone County Public Works department to assist in the clearing of non-county or state owned roadways in order to accommodate emergency vehicles for medical response or other emergency response functions. This assistance can be discretionary based on the situation or by the order of the Boone County Judge-Executive.

Road Priority

Road priority information for state routes can be found HERE.