HoehmTown Happenings

Leaf Season is Here

Please Put Safety First

The Autumn season is upon us – a time of year commonly referred to as the “Fall” for a reason. Trees are shedding their leaves and as you drive around town you’ll find that many homeowners have stacked them at the curbside in front of their homes. The Clarkstown Highway Department is now out on its annual mission to pick up those piles from approximately 29,000 homes on over 1,400 roads throughout the town. As we move through the collection process, I ask that you keep some important safety measures in mind.

As you or your landscaper gather the leaves, please remember that leaf piles should not be placed in the street. Doing so creates an extremely dangerous safety hazard for children, drivers, bikers, and pedestrians. Unfortunately, it’s an important safety rule that is often ignored or forgotten. Every year there are numerous violations throughout the town, which places an unnecessary strain on our highway, code enforcement, and police departments. Loose leaves should be placed in piles on your property near the curb, not on the street. 

In addition to prohibiting leaves from being placed in the streets, the Town Code also states leaves cannot be left at intersections, school bus stops, near fire hydrants, or blocking storm drains. Once again, despite the obvious safety hazards that placing leaves in these areas creates, the town responds to multiple violations involving these locations every year. The town will be out issuing violations for these infractions, as the safety hazards they create are potentially deadly. If you put your leaves in the street, you should expect to receive a violation and a fine for doing so. 

Pickups are done in stages and are broken down into 3 geographic areas with 20 routes each.  Homeowners can find which area and route they are assigned to on the highway department’s interactive leaf program web page. The site provides an anticipated start date for each route. Once the route has begun, the actual start date will be posted. Please keep in mind that anticipated start dates are only estimates, and the actual start date may be earlier or later than what is posted. It is best to get your leaves out as soon as possible.

There are two rounds of pickups planned. The first round began in early November and will run through the month and into early December. Weather permitting, a second sweep of each pickup route will take place.

If you hire a landscaper to clean up your leaves, please remember that Clarkstown has a Landscaper’s Licensing Law requiring that all landscapers must be licensed with the Town. This helps ensure that landscapers act responsibly and remain committed to keeping our streets safe. You can identify a licensed landscaper’s trucks by a registration sticker displayed on all vehicles and trailers. Further details of the Landscaper Licensing Law can be viewed on the Town website at: landscaping.clarkstown.org

Please be patient, get your leaves to the curb as soon as possible, keep them off the street, and remember that our Highway Department crews are working through the process as quickly and efficiently as possible. Happy fall!