Just a reminder on the guidelines for the City Chipper Service and Brush & Leaf Collection that is a free service to all of our residents. The service is provided for normal yard maintenance and not designed to assist with clearing properties of trees, shrubs, or trash.
Any collection outside the realm of the city guidelines will not be picked up and the homeowner will be responsible for the cost of the debris removal.
Of course, we understand there are severe storms from time to time that produce more yard debris for pickup, but these are remote occurrences. Each storm event will be evaluated by the City Manager for approval on pickup modifications.
Please keep in mind the following guidelines when preparing your items:
The chipping service and leaf pickup is for curbside service only. The contractor cannot enter private property.
Place your limbs and bagged leaves as close to the street as possible without putting them in a ditch
Branches cannot exceed eight inches in diameter, and trunks should not include root balls.
Put leaves in plastic bags—not paper, which breaks easily.
Bags should contain only leaves. The contractor will not pick up any bag containing garbage or debris, which prevent recycling.
Do not pile limbs or rake leaves into the street, ditches, culverts, or anywhere that water flows. Blocking the flow of stormwater or clogging culverts causes flooding and erosion of the roadbed.
If you hire a professional to perform work on your property, all debris must be removed as part of that agreement.
While performing landscape work, do not blow leaves, grass, or debris into the drainage ditches or culverts (This hinders stormwater measures and causes blockages).
Burning leaves is prohibited by the Fire Marshal.
The most frequent violations are:
Oversized branches (8" caliper or larger)
Blocked drainage ditches and culverts
Excessive debris outside "normal yard maintenance"
Placing debris outside the property lines
The City's guidelines, pickup schedule, and contacts can be found at the following link for reference Chipper Service and Leaf Pickup | City of Forest Hills.
Please assist us in correcting these issues so monthly services can run more efficiently and in a timely manner.