Snow removal in Northwest Reno and Somersett

Of the Reno ZIPs we cover, this is among the highest and newest. The nearest snowfall gauge is far enough below it that the number needs a caveat, and the housing stock brings a different kind of job than the older core.

At a glance

• ZIP 89523 sits at about 5,432 feet
• About 1,000 feet above the Reno airport station
• About 47% of homes built in 2000 or later
• About 54 minutes from our yard without traffic

Which Reno snow number is yours?

Two NOAA stations bracket this ZIP. The Reno airport station, at 4,410 feet, averages about 20.9 inches a year. The Reno 1.4 NNE station, 4.7 miles from the ZIP's center and at 4,902 feet, averages about 33.3 inches (NOAA 1991-2020). A precipitation gauge on Reno 3.9 W, only 0.3 miles away and at 5,151 feet, records about 10.9 inches of total precipitation. Northwest Reno is higher than all three, so it should be read as the snowier end of Reno, not the airport's 20.9.

Wide drives on new lots

ZIP 89523 has about 37,100 residents in about 16,300 households, with a median build year of 1999 and only about 5% built before 1980 (ACS 2020-2024, ZIP-wide). Newer subdivisions mean wide driveways, long runs of sidewalk and open frontage, where the volume of snow to move is bigger than the number of homes suggests. About 61% of homes are owner-occupied.

Common areas and commercial lots

Where a ZIP this size has shopping centers, offices and medical sites, they need clear lots on the same mornings residents need clear drives. Plows, pushers, front-end loaders and skid steers are part of the fleet, so the work can be sized to a single driveway or a whole property. Pushers and loaders stack snow away from entrances, and loaders can load trucks when it has to be hauled off.

Sidewalks and the City of Reno

For addresses inside the City of Reno, the city's Reno Direct FAQ makes the property owner responsible for sidewalk snow and ice, and its snow and ice control page says shoveling sidewalks and driveways is not a city service. We did not find an hour deadline and do not state one. Check the rule for your address, and read the sidewalk guide.

The long drive, plainly

The yard is 41.7 miles from Northwest Reno, about 54 minutes without traffic, among the farthest of the Reno snow pages. A free-flow estimate does not allow for snow or chain controls, and we do not promise an arrival time. Because of the distance, call 775.232.8243 well before the season, describe the property and ask whether your address is on the route. The office will say what is practical.