Reminder: Keep Leaves, Yard Trimmings Out Of The Road

Thursday, November 9th, 2023

'Tis the season for pumpkin-flavored coffee, debates over which holiday to decorate for and when, and also for raking leaves. But whatever your opinion about pumpkin spice or Christmas decorations, there's no debate about piling your leaves in the road: you shouldn't do it.

Caption: Leaves piled in a roadway

The City of Dalton's Code Compliance Unit has been working on several complaints this week of residents piling their yard debris in the street for pickup. While the Public Works Department does indeed pick up leaves, the City's ordinance specifies that they must be piled on a resident's property and not on the roadway or sidewalk. 

City ordinance 94-28 states: 

• (b)Collected items. The public works department shall collect items of yard trimmings upon the following conditions:

  (1)Yard trimmings shall be collected from residential property wholly within the corporate limits.

  (2)Yard trimmings shall be generated wholly by the residential property owner or his lessee.

  (3)Yard trimmings shall be placed upon the residential property immediately behind the sidewalk, or if there is no sidewalk, immediately behind the curb or off the pavement and   shall not be placed upon any City street, sidewalk, alley, or right-of-way and shall not be located as to impede or obstruct or divert either pedestrian or vehicular traffic or the flow of  surface water or block drains.

Residents should also keep in mind that collection of yard debris/trimmings as well as bulky item rubbish is conducted biweekly in both the northern and southern halves of the City. Click here for the 2023 collection schedule to see when collections will take place in your part of the City. Also, it's always a good idea to review the City's policies for what can be collected and what cannot, as well as the limits for the amount of yard debris or rubbish to be collected. 

With your help, we can keep Dalton's roads and sidewalks safe and clear as well as keeping your yard neat and tidy this fall.