Knowledge Base

The Public Works Department strives to provide the most effective street sweeping service possible at the lowest cost. To help Public Works staff in this effort we ask that residents and property owners please refrain from intentionally placing litter and debris on the street.

Please do not sweep litter, leaves, vegetation, or other debris from your front yard and sidewalk into the street. Debris from your private property should be disposed of in your trash or green waste containers. Sweeping, blowing or washing debris into the street is a violation of “clean water” programs in most cities. These programs are mandated by various Water Quality Control Boards and are intended to keep litter and pollutants out of storm drain systems and receiving water bodies. Sweeping, blowing or washing debris from your private property into the street is also a violation of the City of Daly City’s Municipal Code Section 8.32.060, “Property Owners to Keep Sidewalks Free of Litter.” The penalty for violating this ordinance could be up to a $1,000 fine and up to six months imprisonment in the county jail.

Also, please do not sweep any material in the street into piles. Most mechanical street sweepers, including those utilized by Daly City, are not designed to remove piles of debris and will “ride over” piles of debris leaving much of it behind. The street sweepers are engineered to remove scattered litter and fine pollutants from our city streets and not piles of material. If a sweeper operator attempts to pick up a pile, he/she will most likely pick up only a portion of the material and spread the remaining debris over a wider area creating a bigger problem. Sweeper operators are therefore instructed to drive around piles in order to not delay their progress and complete their route on schedule. Having to send Public Works staff to manually collect these piles of debris greatly increases the cost of providing street sweeping services.