Policy Statement.  The City of Ames has 7.33 miles of alleys, of which approximately one-half are paved. The remainder of the surfaces are gravel in various stages of serviceability. Generally an alley serves a residential or commercial property by providing access to that property. Almost all properties served by alleys also have frontage on public streets. Property owners, thereby, receive the major benefit of an adjacent alley.

Maintenance Procedure.  A property owner wishing to have maintenance done on an alley should call the Public Works Department at 515-239-5550 to arrange for Public Works staff to visit with the property owner and explain the general provisions for maintenance for the site.

General Provisions for Alley Maintenance

• All unpaved alleys receive general grading maintenance periodically at no cost to the property owner.
• When conditions exist that a resident desires additional aggregate, staff will determine scheduling, type of material, and an estimate of cost for the property owner.
• Grading costs will be the City's responsibility.
• Purchase and trucking costs of the aggregate will be the responsibility of the adjacent property owners.
• Grading will be completed to provide positive drainage where possible.
• Paved alleys will receive minor patching as necessary.

Snow Removal Priorities are as follows:

1. Arterial streets
2. Collector streets
3. Residential streets
4. Alleys

Snow Procedures.  Street Division personnel will provide snow removal on paved and unpaved alleys with the following provisions:

• Snow removal on alleys will be accomplished after an accumulation of 4 inches of snow.
• Unpaved alleys that do not meet adequate strength requirements to support snow removal equipment will not be plowed.
• Direction of plowing will be at the discretion of the operator.
• Commercial alleys in the downtown and Campustown areas will be plowed first.
• Alleys will not receive ice control.
• When ice control operations are necessary, plowing of alleys will be interrupted.