Note: this is a machlokes. Below is Rabbi Berkovit's psak.
What is the halacha regarding snow removal on Shabbos - shoveling one's own walk, allowing the
snow removal company to come on Shabbos with machines, and/or a non-Jewish neighbor doing your
walk for you - either by request or on his own? If my neighbor does it on his own, can I encourage him
by thanking him and offering to pay him [for example]?
R' Y. Berkovits wrote: Rav Moshe says that snow is muktzah, Rav Elyashiv (and most poskim) say it
is not. Assuming that snow isn’t muktzah, still to shovel it yourself would be included in the gezeira of
גומות להשוות. [We find a leniency if all houses are tiled nowadays, however we don’t see any leniency
regarding the outdoors.] To ask a Goy, would be shvus d’shvus and muter in case of necessity, for
example in a case where there is a fear people will slip. You can also ask a Goy to use salt (even not
b'makom tzorech). To ask him to use his machine is amira l’akum of a d’oraysai, and assur. If he on
his own decides to use a machine, this would be a shaila of maris ayin (that you asked him). I don’t
think you should let him.
