Street Sweeping

SPU partners with Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to regularly sweep over 90% of Seattle’s arterial streets. City crews sweep 40 regular routes and 14 protected bike lane routes throughout the year. We add seven routes during the fall with a focus on leaves.

How to request street sweeping by SDOT:

• Use Find It, Fix It
• Call SDOT at (206) 684-ROAD (7623)
• Email SDOT at 684-ROAD@seattle.gov

How to contact SPU to learn more about the program:

• SPUStreetSweep@seattle.gov

When are crews sweeping my street?

1. Open the Street Sweeping Route Map (opens in tew tab)
2. Enter your address on the map home screen
3. Click on highlighted streets near your address to view information
4. If you can, move your vehicle to an alternate street before the next scheduled sweep

City of Seattle Street Sweeping Route Map Application

Note: Scheduled sweeping days and locations may vary due to labor and equipment resources, emergency clean up needs, and weather conditions.

Benefits of Street Sweeping

Support Clean Waterways: Pollutants build up on streets and wash into local waterways when it rains. Sweeping removes some of this debris before it is washed down the drain. Each year, we prevent about 320,000 pounds of pollutants from potentially entering our local waterways. Learn more about how SPU works to improve water quality.

Keep neighborhoods healthy and clean: Sweeping removes trash and city dirt for a more appealing place to live, work, and visit. Seattle sweeps over 26,000 miles every year to keep streets clean.

Keep Seattle traffic moving and safe: Sweeping improves car and bike lane safety and reduces flooding by clearing stormwater drains.

Street sweeping debris

Additional Information

Seattle doesn't use parking enforcement for street sweeping

Moving your car is voluntary. Here is why:

• Enforcing parking rules is expensive.
• Many arterials already have few parked cars overnight, so sweepers have access to the curb without parking enforcement.
• Asking is better than telling! We prefer car owners voluntarily move their cars.
• It isn't equitable: Affluent neighborhoods tend to have more off-street parking, and parking enforcement fines have a greater impact on low-income communities.

Scientific data and reports

The City of Seattle has conducted studies and produced reports on the benefits of sweeping streets to improve the quality of stormwater runoff. If available, you can download a copy of one of these reports. Otherwise, you may also contact us at the email address: SPUStreetSweep@seattle.gov.