When salt season starts
The City says winter weather typically runs from November to March, with most snow in January and February. Toronto gets about 130 cm of snow a winter, and a typical storm leaves five to 10 centimetres.
Salt can be on the road before the snow. On expressways, hills, bridges and major intersections, the City applies liquid salt brine, typically about 12 hours before snowfall. The residue can show up as white stripes on the road.
The City's fact sheet lists the dates winter contractors must have their equipment ready: October 15 for the brine trucks, November 8 for the salt trucks and December 1 for the plows. If the forecast turns cold, expect the roads to be treated before you see any snow.
How much salt Toronto uses
The City says typically between 130,000 and 150,000 tonnes of road salt is used in its winter road maintenance each year. When snow starts to fall, salt is applied to melt some of it and stop ice forming, and a bad storm can get more than one round.
Toronto does not use sand in its winter operations. The City says its warmer climate lets salt work well, so salt is what your car will be driving through, not grit.
Where salt collects on a car
Salty slush is thrown up from the road, so the underbody and wheel wells get the most exposure. Brake parts, suspension parts, exhaust parts and the lower edges of the doors are all in the splash zone.
Salt does its harm over a whole season, not in one trip. It stays on the car while the car is parked, so the longer it sits, the longer it works on paint chips and bare metal.
A simple rinse routine
- Rinse the underbody and the wheel wells during mild spells in winter, when it is above freezing so the water does not freeze in the door seals and locks
- Wash the car with an underbody rinse in spring, once the salt is gone from the roads
- Fix stone chips and scratches before they rust through the paint
- Rust proofing is best done in fall on a clean, dry car, before the salt goes down. Our rust proofing is $120 & up and the winter check package is $80 & up. We cover the question of whether it is worth it in our rust proofing guide.
Check it in spring
After the salt is gone, ask for a look at the brakes, the suspension and the underbody. Brake pads and rotors, calipers, brake lines and suspension parts all live in the splash zone, so a spring check can catch wear and rust early.
At our shop we inspect first, show you what we find and give you a written estimate before any work starts.
Salting your own driveway: use less
The City's Live Green Toronto program says too much salt is not safer, because people can slip on the grains. Shovel first, since salt does not work under a big pile of snow, then apply a little and give it time to work before you shovel again.
Follow the instructions on the package for how much to use. The City says salt begins to lose effectiveness at -10 C and is ineffective below -20 C. Sand can help with traction.
Don't salt where you don't walk. Clearing a narrow strip of the walkway and leaving the snow around it unsalted can save a lot of salt.
Salt does not disappear with the snow. The City says it washes into creeks, lakes and rivers and stays there, and that salting on private property can cause 50 per cent or more of the road salt contamination in the Great Lakes watershed.
Sources
Good to know
This is general information. It reflects the City of Toronto's pages as of October 2026, and the fact sheet is dated October 2024, so the contractor dates and tonnage may change. Check the City's pages for the current figures.