Street Sweeping
For cleaner streets... your move counts!
Street sweepers remove harmful pollutants from the streets once a month, but debris collects daily. Moving your car on sweep day is the most important thing you can do to ensure clean streets for San José.
Always obey posted "no parking" or street sweeping schedule signs to avoid tickets or towing.
Keep our streets neat and protect the watershed, too!
Here are some additional things you can do, for a more effective sweep and to keep our streets clean between sweeps.
- Pick up litter and other debris around storm drains to prevent them from causing flooding or washing into our creeks and bay. Call Pick Up San Jose at (408) 535-4000 to become a litter clean-up volunteer.
- Street sweepers avoid broken curbs and gutters, which damage their equipment. Call the Sidewalk Section at (408) 277-3158 for a free permit to repair broken curbs and gutters. Homeowners are responsible for making and paying for repairs.
- Spilled automotive fluids wash into our creeks and bay through storm drains. Protect our water and wildlife: maintain vehicles and clean up spills. Call (866) WATERSHED to find out more.
- Move vehicles off the street on your sweep day. One parked car equals nearly three car lengths of space that can't be swept because the street sweeper must leave room to avoid it. Call Vehicle Abatement at (408) 277-5305 to report vehicles abandoned for more than 72 hours.
- Fallen leaves collected by the street sweeper end up in the landfill. Consider using them to make compost or as mulch under trees and bushes. Or collect and save them until your next collection day to be turned into compost for City parks.
- Sweep up yard trimmings that remain behind after collection, don't re-pile them. Instead, save them for next week's collection. Street sweepers drive around piles to avoid rocks or other unseen items that can damage their equipment.
- Street sweepers steer clear of low-hanging tree branches to avoid breaking them. Prune tree branches to at least 13 feet above the curb. Call the Street Tree Section at (408) 277-2762 for a free pruning permit for trees growing between the sidewalk and street.
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