Twin City Outdoor Services (TCOS) has kept commercial properties across the Twin Cities metro open through Minnesota winters for 30 years. We work for property managers, facility directors and owners of retail centers, office parks, medical campuses, industrial sites and multifamily communities. Commercial only - no residential routes - and the same crews that maintain your grounds in July are the ones clearing your lots in January.
What is included in a TCOS commercial snow removal contract
Every property gets a written winter plan before the first storm. That plan sets trigger depths, priority areas, where snow gets stacked, detailed maps and what happens when the piles outgrow the lot. The services below can be combined under one contract so you are not managing separate vendors for lots, walks and ice.
- Commercial snow plowing for parking lots, drive lanes, loading docks and entrances. Plowing services
- Sidewalk snow removal and shoveling for walkways, building entrances and ADA routes. Sidewalk services
- Parking ramp and structure snow management for decks and exit lanes. Parking ramps
- Snow hauling and relocation when there is no room left on site. Snow hauling
- De-icing and ice management with anti-icing before the event and treatment after it. De-icing
- On-site snow melting for tight urban lots when hauling is not practical and every stall counts.
Contract formats
Property managers compare snow vendors on how the contract is structured as well as on the equipment used. TCOS offers three primary formats and will recommend the one that fits the property and the budget cycle:
- Monthly. A fixed seasonal amount billed monthly, so the winter line item does not move with the weather.
- Time and materials. You pay for the events and materials actually used, which suits properties that want cost tied directly to snowfall.
- Tiered. Pricing set by snowfall bands, which shares weather risk between the property and the contractor.
Request a plan and we will walk the property with you and put the numbers in writing.
Response commitments set to your service level
Response times are written into each contract based on the property and the level of service you choose. A hospital entrance, a distribution center with overnight trucks and a retail lot that opens at 9 AM do not need the same plan, so we do not offer a one-size-fits-all service agreement. Crews are dispatched around the clock during a storm, routes are sequenced by the priorities in your plan, and pre-treatment goes down ahead of forecast events where the plan calls for it.
Documentation that protects the property
Every TCOS route is GPS tracked and every service visit is time stamped. If a slip and fall claim comes in after a storm, your property file shows when crews arrived, what was cleared and what was applied. That record is a standard part of the service, not an add on, and it is the reason many of our properties are often tied to portfolios managed from outside Minnesota who need to see the work without being on site.
Where we work
TCOS serves the entire Twin Cities metro from our shop at 14430 21st Ave N in Plymouth, MN. That includes Minneapolis, St. Paul, Plymouth, Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Maple Grove, Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Edina, Roseville, Woodbury and all of the surrounding metro communities. We do not take work outside the metro, which keeps crews and equipment close to the properties they are responsible for.
Why property managers move their winter work to TCOS
- 30 years in the Twin Cities. Founded in 1997, still locally owned and operated.
- Commercial only. No residential routes competing for crews during a storm.
- Year-round staff. The people who know your property in summer are most often the people plowing it in winter.
- One vendor for the whole exterior. Snow and ice, grounds maintenance, concrete and asphalt under one contract and one point of contact.
- Industry standing. Members of BOMA, SIMA, IREM and IFMA, with Smart Salting trained crews to protect paved surfaces and nearby water.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly does TCOS respond after a snow event?
Response windows are set per contract and per service level as written into your winter plan. Crews work around the clock during storms and follow the priorities in that plan.
Does TCOS handle sidewalks and entrances, or only parking lots?
Both. Sidewalks, entrances, ADA routes and stairs are cleared by dedicated sidewalk crews, and de-icing is applied where the plan calls for it.
What happens when snow piles take up parking stalls?
The winter plan names the stacking and staging areas in advance. When those fill, we haul the snow off site or melt it on site, depending on the property and your preferences.
Can TCOS take over a property mid season?
Yes. We walk the property, write the plan and set the route before the next forecast event. This happens more often than you might think as competitors fail during the season.
Does TCOS serve properties outside the Twin Cities metro?
No. Our service area is the Twin Cities metro only.
Request a winter plan for your property
Winter contracts for the coming season are being scoped now. Request a plan, email [email protected] or call +1 (763) 235-2400.