About street sweeping

Twice a year, Public Works crews sweep more than 1,100 miles of streets from curb to curb. In the spring, crews sweep nearly 400 miles of alleys. We also do routine sweeping at other times, which does not impact parking. Street sweeping helps keep our neighborhoods clean and livable, and protects our waterways.

Learn why we sweep our streets

Read the street sweep parking rules

How street sweeping helps the environment

Cleaning our community

In the spring, we sweep away:

• Trash
• Debris
• Sand from winter road maintenance

In the fall, we remove debris and leaves.

Sweeping the streets helps keep our community clean. When leaves and other debris builds up in the streets, it can clog storm drains and cause local flooding. 

Protecting the environment

Leaves left on streets that eventually wash into storm drains can pollute our lakes and rivers. They may quickly begin to break down, creating pollutants that flow into lakes, streams and the Mississippi River. This overfertilizes lake water and lets harmful aquatic plants and algae grow. The murky lake water that results is not good for swimming or fishing. It can also harm wildlife. 

Remember: It is against the law to sweep your yard or boulevard leaves into the street.

Adopt-a-drain program

To help keep our streets clean and improve the waters of Minneapolis, please consider joining the Adopt-a-Drain Program.

Learn about the Adopt-a-Drain program