Icicles aren't the problem
Ice Dam Removal
By the time you can see icicles, water is often already finding its way under the shingles behind them. Ice dam removal clears the ridge and gives meltwater somewhere to go.
Ice dam removal is removing a ridge of ice that has formed at a roof edge and is backing water up under the shingles. In the Rockford area it typically runs $600 to $1,800 per job, averaging around $1,200. Sourced from Fixr's 2026 ice dam removal guide ($600-$1,800, national average $1,200) and Angi's 2026 figures (most homeowners $650-$2,400, average $1,200). A bigger or hardened dam, or one that's already leaking inside, pushes toward the top of the range.
What's included
Every Ice Dam Call Covers This
- Ice dam removal without hacking at shingles
- Roof edge cleared so water has somewhere to go
- A look at whether attic heat loss is what's causing it, not just this winter's weather
- A call to a roofer recommended if there's already interior water damage; that repair isn't something a snow crew should be doing
Why it forms
It's a Heat Problem Wearing a Weather Costume
An ice dam isn't really caused by how much snow fell. It's caused by uneven roof temperature, warm over the living space, cold at the unheated overhang, with snow sitting on top acting as the evidence. Here's the chain of events:
- 1Heat escapes from the living space into the attic, usually through poor insulation or an unsealed attic floor
- 2That heat warms the underside of the roof deck and melts the bottom layer of snow, even in freezing outside air
- 3Meltwater runs down the roof until it reaches the cold overhang past the heated wall line, where there's no warmth underneath
- 4It refreezes there, building a ridge of solid ice at the eave
- 5More meltwater backs up behind that ridge and finds a way under the shingles instead of off the roof
That's also why removing the dam once is rarely the last step. If the attic is still losing heat the same way, it tends to come back the next cold stretch. Clearing the dam stops the active leak; fixing the heat loss is a separate, usually insulation or ventilation, conversation worth having with a roofer or insulation contractor.
Related
Catching It Earlier
An ice dam is what a snow load problem turns into if it sits long enough. If there's no visible ice yet, just a heavy accumulation, see roof snow removal for clearing it before it gets to this point.
Already seeing water inside near the roofline?
That's an active leak, not just a maintenance call. Tell us what you're seeing and we'll get someone out.