Street Sweeping Operations

When does sweeping take place?

The City sweeps the 340 miles of arterial (primary) streets in St. Paul on a regular schedule from April until October depending on weather conditions. Most arterial streets are swept at least 8 times per year.

Residential streets are swept twice a year; in the early spring and late fall. Alleys are swept after residential sweeping is complete. There are 530 miles of residential streets and 330 miles of alleys in Saint Paul.

Depositing any material (i.e. leaves, trash, dirt) from the boulevard or private property into the street is prohibited. Anything that goes down a storm drain flows directly into nearby lakes and rivers and decomposing plant materials in the water encourages the growth of harmful aquatic plants and algae.

How is it done?

The City uses two types of sweepers, the Elgin Pelican and the Elgin Crosswind. The Pelicans have capacity to pick up gravel, leaves and debris as well as sand and dirt.

The Pelicans can empty their loads directly into dump trucks so all of the sweepings can be hauled away to be recycled, composted or sent to the landfill. Because of the screening that is done, very little goes to the landfill.

Sweeping Notification

Crews will post temporary “no parking” signs at least 24 hours in advance before sweeping any streets, banning parking from 8 a.m.–6 p.m. the day the street is swept. Do not park along these streets until the signs are removed. Vehicles parked in the “no parking” zone could be ticketed. Call the 24-hour Street Maintenance hotline at 651-266-9700 with other questions about sweeping.

Pushing any materials, including leaves, grass clippings or other debris into streets is illegal, and property owners could be ticketed. Anything that goes down a storm drain flows directly into nearby lakes and rivers, and decomposing plant material in the water encourages the growth of harmful aquatic plants and algae.

2018 Fall Sweep

The 2018 Fall Sweep is scheduled to be held October 22-November 14. View our interactive map of the sweeping routes in Saint Paul.  Please call Public Work's 24-hour phone number at 651-266-9700 with any sweeping operations questions. 

Use the interactive map:


Street Sweeping interactive map showing when streets will be swept

Street Maintenance Service Program 

The 2018 estimates for street sweeping is $4.1 million. Approximately $483,000 is funded by the city's general fund. The rest is funded by assessment fees.

The 2018 Estimated Rate per foot by Street Class is:
Class 1: Downtown ($2.45)
Class 2: Outlying Commercial Arterial ($0.87)
Class 3: Residential ($0.38)
Class 4: Outlying Commercial Arterial ($0.14)

Learn more about the City of Saint Paul’s Street Maintenance Service Program and property owner's fees for lighting, street sweeping, seal coating and/or mill and overlay projects.