PIERRE, S.D.(DRGNews)- The South Dakota Department of Transportation reminds the public and commercial snow removal operators that it is illegal to place or dump excess snow on a highway right-of-way.

SDDOT Pierre Area Engineer Dean VanDeWiele (van-da-willy) says those areas include driving surfaces, shoulders and ditches.

VanDeWiele says there are two main concerns about those big piles of snow.

He says there are legal consequences for violating the anti-dumping law.

VanDeWiele reminds property owners and access users that it’s their responsibility to remove snow from the ends of driveways and around their own mailboxes.

SDDOT asks landowners and commercial snow-removal operators to keep excess snow on private property or haul it to legal dumping sites.