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1. How does street sweeping benefit our community?

The City of Redmond conducts regular street sweeping to provide two main benefits. First, the removal of paper, leaves and other visible debris that collects in gutters can prevent localized flooding during heavy rains.

Second, street sweeping removes metal particles and other hazardous waste products left by passing vehicles. Although they are virtually invisible, these particles can be extremely harmful to fish and other wildlife if they reach our streams and lakes. Street sweeping is an effective method of removing both the large and microscopic pollutants that collect on city streets and serves as one of our Best Management Practices (BMP) to control and improve water quality.

2. When does street sweeping occur?

Residential sweeping is performed on a quarterly basis. It is also provided after heavy wind events, and extra sweeping is performed during fall leaf season. Arterial and bike lane sweeping occurs every two weeks throughout the city. Once the arterials and bike lanes are swept, staff go back to the residential streets and sweep the community residential neighborhoods, as needed.

3. How can I help the street sweepers?

Residents play an important role in keeping streets clean and safe. We ask the public to clear leaves from storm drains near their property - especially during autumn - using a hand rake and broom. In addition, keeping the roadway in front of your house free of large objects and obstructions is the best way to assist street sweeping crews in their clean-up efforts.

Additional Help

• Do not place landscape debris (leaves, weeds, branches) in the street gutter lines. If you hire a landscape company or gardener, please direct them to keep landscape debris out of the street.
• Remove large sticks and branches from the roadway in front of your house. They will clog and jam the sweeper's operating system.
• Remove grass or weeds that grow in the gutter cracks. This will reduce the grass and weeds catching debris in front of your house and will improve water runoff during rainstorms.
• Report abandoned autos to the City's Police Department at 425-556-2500. Unless posted with parking timeframes, street front parking is limited to 24 hours for all vehicles (RMC 10.52.110).
• Properly trim your street trees to no less than 10 feet height so the sweeper can clean next to the curb. If you need to prune your trees, there is no permit required. However, if pruning will impact the right-of-way, a permit may be required. For more information on tree maintenance, visit the city's Tree Cutting webpage.
• Organize or participate in neighborhood cleanups.

4. Why wasn't street sweeping completed in front of my house?

There are many reasons why the sweeper may not have been able to remove debris from your street. Most often, it is due to items blocking the roadway such as: 

• Basketball Hoops
• Bicycles
• Cars
• Refuse Containers
• Toys

Vehicles parked too close to each other for the sweeper to maneuver between them is another cause.

Vegetation

Low-hanging trees and shrubs can also prevent sweepers from cleaning in front of your house. If this is a problem in front of your home, please prune back the vegetation and branches so that the sweeper will not hit or run into it. Vegetation should be pruned to no less than 10 feet above the street areas. If this presents an issue, you may receive a door tag similar to the one pictured.

5. Why does the City provide limited public notification of street cleaning schedules?

Although some street repaving projects and roadway construction projects provide letters to residents about an anticipated work schedule, the City does not currently have the tools to provide citywide time-certain information about our street sweeping schedule. Any attempt to provide a schedule online or through the mail would almost certainly prove frustrating to residents, because too many factors beyond our control result in delays to our street sweeping schedule.

The following factors frequently disrupt our street cleaning schedule:

• Weather - heavy rainfall, wind storm, snow and ice
• Equipment breaks down
• Parked cars on both sides of the street
• Garbage collection schedules and garbage cans placed in the street throughout neighborhoods
• Overhanging tree limbs that prohibit our crews from getting to the curb to clean a street - sometimes overhanging tree limbs prohibit our equipment from accessing a street
• Employee emergencies - unexpected absences due to illness, family emergencies, or other emergencies

Additional Information

For more information or to report a street sweeping concern or hazard, please call 425-556-2800.