Before Snowplowing Starts: Record the Damage Already in Your Parking Lot
Before snowplowing starts, walk the property with your winter service provider and create a dated record of existing pavement and curb damage. Share the same photographs and location notes with everyone responsible for the site. The goal is a usable starting point for later comparisons, not a folder of pictures nobody can locate.
Give every observation an address within the property
For a Middle Tennessee shopping center or office property, a note saying damaged curb is too vague. Identify the entrance, parking row, or building corner. Give each observation a simple identifier, such as C1, and put that identifier on a property sketch and in the photo filename.
Take an overview that shows the location and a closer image that shows the condition. Keep the original files and record the inspection date. Describe what is visible, such as a missing curb corner, rather than guessing who caused it. Include an intact neighboring feature in the overview when it helps someone recognize the spot.
Separate the condition record from the repair list
The Snow & Ice Management Association's 2025 planning standard calls for a preseason inspection involving the contracted parties and documentation of hazards such as broken curbs and potholes. It also addresses defining repair responsibility for damage absent from earlier inspection records. A photograph alone is not a repair authorization or a determination of responsibility.
For each item needing attention, add a separate action entry: who will review it, who can approve work, and when an update is expected. Ask the winter provider which unresolved conditions affect its service plan. Do not mark an item complete simply because a repair estimate has arrived.
Keep the baseline current after repairs
If work occurs after the walkthrough, add a new photograph under the same location identifier. Preserve the earlier image and label the new one with the repair date. This creates a sequence instead of silently replacing the original record.
Before service begins, confirm that the property contact and provider can both open the shared folder. Name the person who receives newly observed damage reports. SIMA's preseason guidance also recommends agreeing on incident-reporting procedures. Milliken Corporation offers commercial snow and ice management; bring the condition record when discussing your property's winter service needs.
Frequently asked questions
Can last winter's photographs serve as this year's baseline?
Keep them as history, but compare them with current conditions. Add dated images for repairs, changes, and newly observed damage so the record reflects the property being serviced now.
Does a new mark after plowing prove the plow caused it?
No. Report the observation promptly and compare the location, photographs, and service records with the provider. Timing alone should not be treated as a conclusion about cause.