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 curbsides 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!
