As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Most roofs never need shoveling: a house is built for its area's snow, and the real winter risk is ice dams at the eaves. Remove snow when it is deep and wet, when it drifts against a taller wall or onto a low roof, when the eaves are building ice, or when doors start to stick and ceilings crack. Do it from the ground with a roof rake, pulling the bottom 3 to 4 ft off the eaves and leaving an inch or two on the shingles, and never climb an icy roof. Weight depends on the snow far more than the depth: the site's snow load calculator uses about 1.25 lb per sq ft for each inch of fresh snow and 5 lb for wet snow, so 12 in of wet snow weighs as much as 4 ft of powder. A crew charges $200–$400 to clear a 2,000 sq ft roof, per HomeAdvisor.
Snow is weight plus water. The weight matters most on low-slope and flat roofs, porches and lower roofs below a taller one, and anywhere wind piles a drift; the water matters everywhere, because heat from the house melts the underside and the meltwater refreezes at the cold eave into an ice dam.
| Snow | lb per sq ft per inch | lb per sq ft at 12 in | lb per sq ft at 24 in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh, dry snow | 1.25 | 15 | 30 |
| Settled / packed snow | 3.00 | 36 | 72 |
| Wet, heavy snow | 5.00 | 60 | 120 |
| Ice | 5.70 | 68 | 137 |
A rake with rollers or wheels on the head keeps the blade a little above the shingles. Slide-style rakes cut the snow with a frame and let it slide down a plastic chute, which needs less pulling on long, gentle slopes. Our roof snow rake buying guide compares the types.
Reach is the pole length less your standing distance, measured up the slope. Stand about as far back as the eave is high for a comfortable angle. Most telescoping rakes extend to 16 to 21 ft; extension sections add more but get heavy and whippy past about 20 ft.
| House | Eave height | Pole that clears the bottom 3–4 ft of roof |
|---|---|---|
| 1-story | 8–10 ft | 16–21 ft telescoping |
| 1½-story / raised ranch | 12–14 ft | 21 ft plus an extension |
| 2-story | 18–20 ft | Lower slope only from the ground; crew for the rest |
HomeAdvisor's roof snow removal guide (June 2026) puts the average job at $300, typically $200–$700, and $200–$400 for a 2,000 sq ft roof. Steep roofs, 2-story houses and roofs with ice dams cost more. If ice is already backing water under the shingles, the ice dam removal cost calculator prices a steam crew.
Next winter's fix is upstream: air-seal and insulate the attic floor and balance the ventilation so the roof stays cold; the ice dam prevention guide and the winter roof inspection checklist walk through it.
Usually not. Rake the eaves when the roof builds ice dams, and rake more when the snow is deep and wet, after rain on snow, or where it drifts onto a low roof. Signs of overload (sticking doors, new cracks, sagging) mean leave the building and call a professional.
It depends on the snow and the roof's design load. The site's snow load calculator uses about 1.25 lb per sq ft per inch of fresh snow and 5 lb for wet snow; compare the result with your area's design load from the ground snow load calculator.
It can if you scrape to bare shingles or force the blade under frozen snow. Leave 1 to 2 in on the roof, pull rather than push, and use a rake with rollers or a slide frame that holds the blade off the surface.
From the ground you can clear the lower slope with a long telescoping rake. For the rest, hire a roof snow removal crew; don't work from a ladder in snow and ice.
HomeAdvisor (June 2026): about $300 on average, $200–$400 for a 2,000 sq ft roof.
Reviewed . General guidance, not engineering or electrical advice: a sagging roof needs a structural engineer, and hard-wired de-icing circuits need a licensed electrician.