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About $1,200 on average, and $600–$1,800 for most jobs. Pros bill by the hour with a two-hour minimum: low-pressure steam is $400–$600 an hour and an average roof takes 2–3 hours, so $800–$1,800. Chipping is $200–$300 an hour but takes 4–6 hours and risks cracking shingles.
Ice dam removal costs about $1,200 on average (HomeAdvisor's roof snow removal guide, June 2026), and most jobs fall between $600 and $1,800 (Fixr, January 2025). Crews bill by the hour and most charge a two-hour minimum. Low-pressure steam, the method that melts through the dam without striking or blasting the shingles, runs $400–$600 an hour and an average two-story house takes 2–3 hours, so $800–$1,800. High-pressure hot water is $200–$400 an hour over 2–5 hours, chipping $200–$300 an hour over 4–6 hours with a real risk of cracked shingles and gutters, and calcium chloride or roof melt tablets $100–$150 an hour. The Ice Dam Removal Cost Calculator multiplies the billed hours for your method and job size, or the hours a contractor quoted, by the hourly range, then adds roof snow removal ($150–$700 by roof size) and heat cable at $12–$20 per linear foot installed if you want the eaves protected afterwards.
Hourly rates and typical hours are from Fixr’s ice dam removal cost guide (updated January 31, 2025); the average job ($1,200), roof snow removal by roof size and heat cable installed at $12–$20 per linear foot are from HomeAdvisor’s roof snow removal guide (updated June 2026). Most crews bill a two-hour minimum.
| Method | Per hour | Typical hours | Typical job |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-pressure steam (recommended) | $400–$600 | 2–3 h | $800–$1,800 |
| High-pressure hot water | $200–$400 | 2–5 h | $400–$2,000 |
| Chipping / mechanical | $200–$300 | 4–6 h | $800–$1,800 |
| Calcium chloride / roof melt tablets | $100–$150 | 2–3 h | $200–$450 |
Rake the bottom 3–4 feet of snow off from the ground, then lay calcium chloride in a sock or as roof melt tablets across the dam to open a drainage channel. Never use rock salt, never chip the ice and never climb onto an icy roof.
About $1,200 for a typical job, the average in both HomeAdvisor's roof snow removal guide (June 2026) and Fixr's ice dam guide (January 2025). Fixr puts the national range at $600–$1,800. Pros bill by the hour, usually with a two-hour minimum, so a small dam can be about $400 (Fixr's low end, two hours) and a long, steep or multi-dam roof $1,800 or more.
Fixr lists low-pressure steam at $400–$600 an hour, and an average-sized roof takes 2–3 hours: about $800–$1,800. High-pressure hot water is $200–$400 an hour, chipping $200–$300 an hour over 4–6 hours, and calcium chloride or roof melt tablets $100–$150 an hour.
Steam melts through the ice at low pressure, so nothing strikes or blasts the shingles. Chipping with hammers or chisels cracks shingles and gutters, and high-pressure water can strip granules and force water under the shingles. Steam costs more per hour but is usually faster, so the bill is often similar.
Stay on the ground. Pull the snow off the bottom few feet of the roof with a roof rake so less meltwater feeds the dam, and lay calcium chloride in a sock or tablets across the dam to melt a drainage channel. Never use rock salt, and never chip the ice or climb onto an icy roof.
Fix the warm roof deck that causes them: air seal the attic floor, insulate to your climate zone's R-value and keep soffit-to-ridge ventilation open. Heat cable at the eaves keeps a drainage path open on problem roofs; HomeAdvisor puts it at $12–$20 per linear foot installed.
Stop the next one: the roof heat tape calculator sizes de-icing cable for the eaves and gutters.
Need the whole roof at once? The free roofing calculator works out roof area, squares, shingle bundles, underlayment, drip edge, ridge cap and installed cost from one set of measurements.