How are snow emergencies determined in Metro Detroit communities? What to know.

Dispatch centers in the Metro Detroit area have been busy since Sunday, fielding dozens of calls and complaints due to the winter storm.

One thing confusing some residents is snow emergency declarations and the residential street parking restrictions. More than a dozen communities in Southeast Michigan have declared snow emergencies. However, the city of Detroit was not one of them.

"There's no snow emergency here. I mean, for us, like 4-6 inches is pretty routine. So what we did do is, we did activate our residential plowing program," said Sam Krassenstein, deputy director of the city's Department of Public Works.

The Department of Public Works is responsible for 700 miles of major roads and 1,900 miles of residential streets.

"It's super helpful for you to move your car, but it's not like we're going to ticket anybody for not doing it. This is an added service that we have for the community," Krassenstein said.

Compared to other municipalities, the city does not have a minimum required amount of snowfall to issue a snow emergency.

"I can't remember the last time the City of Detroit actually had to declare one, but it would be a threshold that would be a lot higher than what we have today," Krassenstein said.

Unlike in Detroit, the city of Dearborn has declared a snow emergency. This would require cars to be removed from city streets, or car owners could get a ticket.

Since Sunday, the Dearborn Police Department has issued more than 500 citations, with an $80 fine.

"It's a difficulty, but a necessity, that you get your vehicle off the street so nobody wants to issue tickets," said Timothy Hawkins, director of Dearborn's Department of Public Works.

In Dearborn, a snow emergency is declared if 3 inches of snow is expected.

"It allows us to clean the streets, make safe ride into work and then when you finally do your snow on the residential side, you do it once, and everything stays clean," Hawkins said.

For more information on alternative locations to park a car in Dearborn, visit the city's website.