How to Put Up a Snow Fence (With Photos and Video)
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A snow fence acts as a barrier to slow the prevailing wind, causing drifting downwind of the fence – instead of in your driveway or walkway. It reduces your need for snow removal, and means less work for you during every snowstorm. You can also use the fence to collect snow to melt where you want it in spring, to fill a pond or watering hole.
When I was a little girl up in northwest Wisconsin, we had a lot of “Big Snow” winters. The snow started early and lasted all winter long. The country roads cut through massive snow banks that my friends and I would build tunnels through. (We always used the buddy system so someone was on the outside to watch for the plow or dig you out if needed.)
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Grandma’s Snow Fence
Something else I remember from winters past was grandma’s snow fence. Grandma had a fairly long, thin driveway, and without the snow fence, I’m sure it would have been blown shut more often than not. When my brother bought grandma’s place, he planted a tree line where the snow-fence had been. This now protects the driveway (even better than the fence).
We planted windbreak trees as soon as we moved here, but they’ll take a while to grow. Like grandma, we have a long, narrow driveway. Unlike my brother, Rich, we can’t plant trees parallel to it along the whole length, because part of the land upwind from it belongs to our neighbor.
See “Windbreaks – You’ll be Amazed at What They Can Do” for video comparing our tree line and snow fence performance.
After spending many days during the winter of 2013-2014 stuck at home because the driveway drifted shut almost as soon as it was plowed (from that snow you see above), we decided to put up a snow fence. In this post I’ll discuss why and how snow fence is used, so you can decide if you’d like to use it for your home.
What is a Snow Fence?
Anything that blocks the wind enough to cause the snow to pile away from the road or area you are trying to protect. This could be a slat wood snow fence, green plastic fence like the one in the photos, or a line of bushes or trees.
How Does a Snow Fence Work?
First off, remember that the goal of a snow fence is not to stop snow completely. Instead, it redirects where the snow drift forms.
A properly installed snow fence slows down the wind, causing a drift to pile up on the downwind side of the fence – instead of in your driveway or road. A snow fence can significantly reduce the need for plowing, and keep roadways safer by reducing blowing and drifting onto the road.
The snow blows with the wind. The fence creates a pressure differential that causes the air to drop the snow in the lower pressure just behind the fence. The exact spot where the snow will pile will vary with the height of the fence, how much air can get through the fence, the wind-speed and other factors.
You can see in the top photo of the post how a sizable drift had formed downwind of the fence last winter. The photo was taken in late winter after the snow had started to melt. Other areas had cleared, but the drift was still intact. In some areas, farmers purposely stack the drifts so they melt and flow into a water basin in spring.
Snow Fence Placement
Snow Fence should be installed upwind of the area that you want to keep clear. For instance, our winds come mostly out of the west and north. Our driveway runs mostly north to south, with a bend that angles southwest. We put the snow fence parallel to the driveway to the west and northwest along the path of the driveway.
Snow fence placement is critical. Too far and the effect will be lost. Too close and the snow will pile where you don’t want it.
We found some disagreement as to how far from the road the snow fence should be. The Iowa DOT says the snow fence should be placed 35 times the height of the fence away from the road, which would be 140 feet for a four foot tall fence.
The roll of snow fence we bought at the local home improvement store said 60 feet. We went with the wider distance the first year, since we had the room.
2022 Update: This year we’re shifting to the 60 foot distance, based on previous year’s drifts. We changed the snow fence placement based on results. Putting the fence a little closer may also offer more protection to the driveway to our neighbor’s hunting shack, which runs parallel to our driveway, downwind. We are skipping the low wet area.
Plan for a Gap Under the Fence
Ideally, there should be a gap underneath the fence of at least 5 inches. Native grasses or other ground cover require us to mount the fence higher. The fencing should be 5 inches above the matted grass.
The higher the fence is off the ground, the further away the drift will start. If the fence is directly on the ground, it may become buried in the drifts if snow load is heavy. This will reduce its effectiveness.
It’s hard to see the gap in the top image because the grass is so tall, but you can see it better in the image below.
How Do you Install a Snow Fence?
Remember, this fence is meant to be load bearing, so use enough posts. Set the posts well in the ground and make sure the fence is well-secured to the posts. Place the fencing on the windward side.
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Our primary wind comes from the west, so the fence is all on the west side of the posts. We use t-posts, not metal u-posts, because they are stronger.
For areas with very heavy wind and snow loads, you can secure the ends of the fencing with additional support wires as detailed at the U.S. Netting website.
What you need from your local store:
- Fencing: orange snow fence or the green plastic fencing. 50 ft sections may be more manageable, and 100 ft may be more practical in longer runs. Figure out your placing and dimensions before you buy. We don’t suggest barrier fence or safety fence, as the function is not the same.
- 7 foot t-posts we suggest a quantity of 7 to 11 (depending on spacing) for 50 feet of fencing. Taller is better so 7 ft posts are better than 5 ft.
- A post driver to pound in the T posts
- 100 ft tape measure to mark post locations and lay out fence line
- Enough Plastic Ties for 3 or 4 ties per post
- Purchase a good pair of high dexterity work gloves
For a 4 foot tall fence with 6 foot t-posts:
- Place fence posts no more than 8 feet apart, closer for stronger winds. We put posts every 5 feet because of wind load.
- Drive posts in approximately 1.5 feet deep (if you are too shallow the will pull the post down in heavy winds).
- Line up fence on posts (on the windward side), leaving a gap below the fence (at least 5 inches).
- Tighten fence and secure with 10″ cable ties to post. In high wind areas, it is highly recommended that the fence be sandwiched between the flat side of the metal posts and a 1″x 2″ wood slat. (See below.)
Because we have several hundred feet of snow fence to put up, we skip the slats and use extra cable ties. So far, so good. The fence has survived 5 years of use, and is still in good shape going into the fourth winter. There have been a few tears here and there.
We install our snow fence in late October/early November. Obviously, you need to get the fence in place before the ground freezes and the snow starts stacking up.
Taking Down the Snow Fence
The fence comes down each spring once the main risk of heavy snow is past. We use a wire clipper to remove the zip ties, and gather them up for disposal. Then we roll the fencing and store it for the summer. We remove the posts and knock the dirt off.
We don’t leave the snow fence up all season, because the materials would degrade sooner due to sunlight and general weathering. Part of the fence goes through the neighbor’s hay field, so he needs access during the growing season.
Snow Fence Alternatives
The best snow fences are about half solid and half open. The solid material blocks or at least slows the wind. The pressure changes because of the openings in the fence or treeline drop the snow as the wind blows through the fence.
You don’t necessarily need to purchase fencing. Pallets will work, slat fencing will also, even planks staggered at roughly 50% air and board will work.
You can create a living snow fence with a line of staggered bushes or evergreen trees, is best at a good distance varying by height and density. A second line of staggered plastic or wooden fence or shrubs will reduce wind a second time and drop any remaining snow.
See “Windbreak Design” and “Best Windbreak Trees” for more information on living snow fences.
Make sure you know your prevailing winds, angles and distances. Use each years experience to improve your fence the following winter.
Closed in spaces like a city or subdivision will likely need some creativity. You will need to be creative with the spacing and work with neighbors to ensure the snow drops where you want it. We have seen people extending a wall with fence to create wind barriers and drive the snow through a series of fences between houses depending on the prevailing winds so the snow drops between buildings away from driveways and streets.
Do Snow Fences Work?
Yes, snow fences work. In our case, we clearly see the drifting on the downwind side of the fence. The video below is from February 2019. (Please make sure adblockers are disabled so video displays correctly.)
Since we first did this, I’ve been seeing more snow fences around. I know at least one neighbor liked the fence, because he stopped in to ask where we bought it. They liked the green snow fence more than the orange fences they’d seen around.
Another interesting application for the fencing is to use it in combination with trenching. This catches the melting snow and directs it to specific areas. Since part of our fence goes through the neighbor’s field and part is in a marshy area, this isn’t a very practical option for us, but I could see where it might be useful. If you are in an arid region, consider this to feed into swales or ponds.
Have any questions? Have you used a snow fence? How did it work out for you? (ask question in the comments section below).
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This article is by Laurie Neverman. She has a BS in Math/Physics and MS in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in renewable energy. Laurie and her family live in a “concrete bunker” (ICF home) with a permaculture food forest, greenhouses, and three types of solar. They “walk the talk” of preparedness by living a more self-reliant lifestyle.
Originally posted in 2015, last updated in 2023.
Our driveway is on the south side of our home. The neighbors to to the north of us never has much snow our driveway has drifts
And we are alway cleaning up. How far away does the snow fence have to be to help us.
HELP PLEASE
Where does your wind come from? For a snow fence to work, it needs to be some distance from the area you are trying to protect. 60 feet is recommended, but after seeing how the drifts build up behind ours, I’d say 30 feet upwind would be a minimum distance.
What if you only have a couple feet to play with off the drive and not 35′ or so?
Then unfortunately a snow fence is not likely to work very well, since it would slow and drop the snow in the area you want to keep clear – unless you could somehow make a deal with the neighbors for better placement.
Thanks Laurie
That is the plan…just thought there might be a ‘traditional’ tried and true way.
Anna
I really appreciate all the advice given here, but have a question on technique for handling the wooden stake fencing. Do you have a method for joining two rolls of wooden snow fencing in a neat and tidy way? The wire is so stiff to work with. I actually live in on a “Snow Free” west coast island, but am creating an art installation with red wooden stake snow fencing.
Thank you
Anna
ps my website will give you an idea of what I am doing
We’re not terribly focused on cosmetics here, given that the fence goes up and down every season. I’d probably overlap the end slats at the seam and wire or clamp them together.
I had the reddish wooden slat fence right next to my driveway and it CAUSED drifting. The Iowa DOT report says 35 times the height of the fence should be the distance away from the road/drive. That is what I am doing this year! The report also covers distances required when using multiple fence foes or if your wind direction is directly into your driveway (use an offset angle).
Yes, right next to your driveway would be a bad thing. That’s why this post very clearly details how far the fence should be placed away from your driveway.
LAURIE, I AM TAKING CARE OF MOM’S INDIANA HOME AND THE N/S DRIVEWAY IS A PROBLEM FROM THE WEST WINDS AND DRIFTING SNOW. I AM PAYING $25.00 PER CLEANING. LAST YEAR WAS COSTLY. DRIVE WAY IS 3 CARS WIDE AND MAYBE 6 TO 7 CARS LONG. BUT I DON’T UNDERSTAND UPWIND AND DOWNWIND. I HAVE NO TROUBLE SHOVELING BUT ONCE THE DRIFTS START I HAVE TO CALL IN THE PLOW TRUCK. HELP.
Look at the third photo in the post. See the arrows at the top right? The winds blow primarily from the west to the east, so the fence is placed west of the driveway so the winds will encounter the fence before they encounter the driveway.
So – which direction do your driveway blocking winds come from? Put the fence that direction from your driveway to block them before they get to the driveway.
Thanks so much for this! I am too old to be doing all that shoveling.
I hope this helps!
Hi Laurie,
I was very happy to find your web site and really appreciated the pictures. All of this agreed with other data from fence/webbing manufacturers.
My issue is more compressed. I don’t have 60′ to work with. I have a 1/2 acre lot with a south-end E-W-running drive and a 4’+ boulder retaining wall right on the south edge. In a blizzard, north winds prevail and I end up with 18-30″ drift/fill across the entire drive, effectively trapping the vehicles in the garage. When my blower is on the fritz (like this morning), my back suffers.
I might have 20-25′ to work with, before my front lawn slopes downhill steeply to the north. I have read that lowering the fence height would draw the drift in. So if I use an 18″ fence the resulting drift might just reach the drive at that kind of spacing, yes? But at that low height, would enough really be collected to avoid snow still drifting in the drive? I could live with 6-8″ drifts.
Am I basically out of luck with these compressed dimensions for applying some science to my problem? Either way, better blower maintenance is a must, apparently.
Thanks,
James
As you can see from the photos, the biggest build up will be close to the fence, so even 20-25′ *should* help keep some of the snow off your driveway. Personally, I’d probably opt for the 4 foot fence – 18″ seems way too short to bother with – and keep it at ground level to start the drift right next to the fence.
We put up wooden slat snow fence for many years on the farm, and when we got bigger tractors and buckets we discontinued. Now we are retired and no longer have the big equipment and just today I put a short plastic one to prevent the snow from swirling around the house in front of the garage. I made a slat sandwich at each post. The slats are the width of the t-post, 4 ft long with a 1/4 in groove and the depth of the notches on the post. I did not use zip ties, but recycled plastic baling twine wrapped in barber pole fashion. A bit time consuming but so is putting up snow fence.
Nothing wrong with working with what you have on hand. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thanks for the info. My T posts have multiple rounded metal studs protruding from the side facing the plastic fencing. How would one fasten the wood slats as they would fall to one side or the other unless notched?
JW
We have bumpy t-posts, too, which is another reason we opted to skip the slats. Husband suggests that if you wanted to use the slats, you could attach on the opposite side at an angle – ugly, but at least you could get contact along the entire edge. He and the boys also attached the zip ties at an angle across the thick part of the fence, thinking that it might take more to tear. I didn’t do that last year.
What are your suggestions for putting two fences parallel to each other in high drift areas? Worth the effort and how far should spacing be between them? I also have an area that creates a “triangle -like” tunnel between a house, shed, and garden shed. Sometimes the snow piles here 10′ tall or more. Any suggestions on placement for this situation? GREAT information!
You’ll probably have to experiment with placement to see what works best with your layout. Maybe 30′ between, so you’re catching the first drift where it’s starting to taper?
Kim, the Strategic Highway Research Council link that Laurie references in the article has a lot of info. A couple of the things they discuss are using parallel fencing and deflecting the snow in “odd” areas
Thanks, John.
I have never thought about putting up a snow fence before, however, you suggest that this is a good option because it helps you redirect the snow piles and reduce the need for plowing. Thus, you can make the roadways around your home and community a lot more safe and potentially help reduce wrecks and injuries. Overall, it seems like this would be a smart option, so I will consider putting up around my home. Thank you for sharing!
While I don’t have the long driveway, (yet) my house sits in the middle of a bunch of fields, with absolutly no trees. I was considering this as a way to address the wind hitting my house, trying to cut my heating issues (old farm house… No insulation…). I got lucky (sorta) when I bought the house, and found a bunch of old wood-slat snow fencing. Is this a terrible idea? Do I need the full 60 feet from the house? Because there’s a road there… Sorry to seem clueless, but I kinda am
I don’t know how much it will help, but it shouldn’t hurt anything. It sounds to me like you’re more worried about blocking wind, and it wouldn’t be a problem if some snow stacked against the house because it could provide insulation. If that’s the case, less than 60 feet shouldn’t be a problem.
Awesome, thanks. Been looking around for the last few months, on and off, about if it might help etc, this is the clearest article I’ve read, and the only one anyone responded to me on. Appreciate it
Yeah, went I went hunting, I noticed the information was pretty skimpy and not well organized, too. I’ve seen them around, but never given much thought to best placement and the science behind the air flow. I need to update the post with some photos from last winter. It wasn’t a heavy snow winter like the year before, but I could still tell that the snow stacked up downwind from the fence. I had a heck of a time getting a decent shot of the white on white.
My wife and I bought our first “out of town” house in April of 2014. Last winter not only killed our snowblower but almost both of our backs as well. This year I’m planning to put up a snow fence but had no idea how to even begin it properly. Thank you for the great info in your post, I feel much more comfortable tackling this now, I also know that I don’t want the fence right next to my drive (as a friend had suggested).
Glad to be of help, Rob.
This type of fencing can be enormously helpful in snowy places, but I wasn’t sure about how difficult it was to install. I have been looking into this for a while without finding much incentive to actually act on my desire to build one. However, your article was very informative and clearly instructive; I think I will finally do this! Thank you for all of your helpful tips and professional advice.
After twenty years I have found that greater than 60′ is fine here in northern Michigan. Any closer and the post-fence drift eventually makes it to the drive. On bad years it still might make it. If you are planting spruces and such to take over the fence duties, plant them that far back too. I didn’t twenty years due to ignorance and now they’re too close, but still work OK. Where did you find the green snow fence? I’m sick of the ‘construction zone orange’. White would be even better.
I found the green snow fence at Menards. You’re not the only one who’s tired of the orange. We had someone pull in when I was working outside last fall and ask where we got it from, too.
Thanks for your article, Laurie. I have a couple of questions.
1. I noticed that you used the plastic netting for snow fencing. Are you able to discuss the difference between the netting and the traditional red stake wooden snow fencing? Would the wooden fencing need to be off the ground? I’ve not seen that fencing installed off the ground before.
2. 140 feet feels like a long ways away from my driveway. I’m thinking somewhere in the 50′ to 60′ range as my “problem spot” is a downhill sloping away from where the fencing would be.
Any observations you might have would be appreciated.
Bill
The weight of the wood fencing would make it extremely difficult to install off the ground. I do remember my grandmother’s wooden snow fence becoming buried in some winters when we had deep snow. Elevating the fence allows it to accommodate a deeper snow load more effectively.
We have wide open spaces with a big pasture just upwind of our driveway and strong winds, so placing the fence farther out seemed a better fit for us, but depending on your space, I’m sure the 60′ spacing would work fine.
Thanks, Laurie. I have plenty of room so will plan to run out to the 140 feet. Living in a high end subdivision, wooden fencing will be what we install, and I’ll have to work with it to get it off the ground about 5 inches. My biggest challenge will be placement as I’m trying to prevent drifting in an area that slopes away from the fencing. I have a feeling we’ll do our best at positioning this year and then adjust as needed next year. Thanks for sharing your insights. I’ll be back to see further discussions with other readers.
Getting the fence up off the ground makes the most difference when you have really deep snow, since it keep the fence from getting buried. Grandma always had her wooden snow fence right on the ground, and it still worked pretty well most years.
Thanks for the information! I need a snow fence around my property, but I’ve never installed one myself before. It’s good to know that I should use T-posts instead of U-posts. I usually use U-posts for my fences, but they’re not exactly load bearing fences. It makes a lot of sense to use T-posts for a snow fence to make it more load bearing.
I grew up in Utah, similar to your experience, our winters generally lasted for almost six months. I remember having fun as a kid and building snowmen, having snowball fights, all of that stuff. I was surprised when my family moved in my freshman year of college. The new house they moved to got easily twice as much snow as our old house ever got. I think it definitely would have been nice to know how to do this. If we would have been able to control the snow at least a little bit it would have been helpful. I guess I’ll just have to keep it in mind for the future.
We live next to a big open park. After a good windy snow my neighbors will have driveway showing. We on the other hand will have feet of snow drifted over ours. Years ago I discovered the benefits of a snow fence. Ours was installed just after Halloween running east-west almost along our lot line. It is approximately 35′ away from the drive and does a fantastic job. Saves me tons of time and a sore back because I do most of the snow removal.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Denise.
Your article of how to put a snow fence up is useless to my situation. I have a real problem, I have a 700 foot driveway and a good 300 feet or more is exposed to and open west field that blows east. My driveway sits east of field in a south to north direction. My driveway is approx. 10 feet wide and the width of my property where my driveway sits on is 36 feet. The west strip of land is 14 feet to 16 feet. Can a 4 foot snow fence effectively work on my driveway? If not what can I do? .
With that narrow of a strip of land, the physics of the snow fence won’t work. Is there any chance the neighbor who owns the field next to the driveway would let you put up a fence for the winter? This is what we do for the section of the driveway that is landlocked by our neighbor’s field. He runs cattle in there, but not once the snow falls. We put the posts up in fall, but with the warm start to winter, the cattle stayed in the pasture until the week before Christmas. We end up putting the fencing on as a storm blew in the Monday after Christmas. Not fun, but we got it up in time.
Otherwise, you’re going to need a snow removal option. If you don’t have a vehicle that can have a plow mounted, maybe you can make a deal with a neighbor who does. We hire our neighbor with the pasture to do our driveway when he’s doing his, since we have a van but no truck.
Laurie,
Your article on snow-fencing is a good one. I would add a couple of nuances that may be useful to your readers.
Your effective distance for the placement of fencing is good. 35 times the height of the fence is pretty widely accepted. The dynamics of snow fencing however is often misrepresented, and is worth mentioning. There are two zones associated with snow fencing. There is an area of deposit and a area of scouring. The trick for effective fence placement is to get the scour zone on your driveway. That scour zone starts at the 35 times the height of the fence (dependent on wind velocity). This is where the wind is now increasing, and in so doing it scours the snow off your driveway or road. For anyone wanting a more detailed and potentially boring explanation keep reading.
Snow being moved by wind is governed by the same factors as sediment in a stream or river. The faster the wind or water moves the more load it can carry. The load in the case of drifting is the snow. The faster the air moves (the wind blows) the more snow it is carrying. As the wind slows when it encounters a snow fence some of the load (snow) is dropped out. This creates the drift or what is called the pillow behind a snow fence. The capacity to transport a load has decreased so it deposits snow. The less understood part of this dynamic is what happens next. As the wind velocity begins to resume after the snow fence, the load capacity of the wind also increases. As the wind increases after having deposited it’s snow load it then begins to pick up snow, in effect scouring your driveway of snow. This scour zone is actually removing the snow from the driveway or road making for a “happy camper”. Now you are an expert on snow dynamics!
Thanks, Rich.