Street Sweeping and Public Litter Cans in San Diego

This guide covers City of San Diego streets. Get It Done only takes reports inside City limits; each form asks you to verify that the address is within the City of San Diego. The Environmental Services Department says issues on freeways, freeway ramps and state highways should go to Caltrans, issues in another city to that city, and issues in unincorporated areas to the County. Our guide to reporting a problem to the City of San Diego lists those contacts.

Street sweeping is run by the City's Stormwater Department. Its street sweeping page says the program covers over 2,700 miles of improved streets and serves two purposes: keeping streets clear of trash and debris, and protecting water quality by picking up material that would otherwise wash into storm drains, which carry water untreated to creeks, bays and the ocean.

• Look up your street. The City's Street Sweeping Route and Schedule Viewer is an interactive map that displays sweeping routes and schedules citywide. The map itself says schedules and routes may be subject to temporary or immediate changes that are not reflected on it.
• Check the signs on your block. On posted routes, the no parking signs state the day of the week and the time of day the street is swept. Those times are what you can be ticketed for.
• Questions. The street sweeping page lists 619-527-3482 and swppp@sandiego.gov.

Two kinds of routes. The City describes:

Sweepers work best when they can reach the gutter, where pollutants collect. A City street sweeping fact sheet asks residents to find unrestricted parking on sweeping days and keep vehicles off the street during restricted times.

Under San Diego Municipal Code section 86.0108, the City Manager sets the location of Street Sweeping Zones, and they take effect when signs giving notice are put up. Section 86.0117 says no one may park or stand a vehicle in a designated Street Sweeping Zone during the days and times posted on those signs (see the Municipal Code, Chapter 8, Article 6, Division 1). The Stormwater Department says it issues parking citations for cars parked during the no parking time restrictions.

• What the ticket costs. The City's parking citation fine amounts list "Violation of Signs - Street Sweeping" under SDMC 86.0112(e) at $83.50 as of November 1, 2026. All amounts include an $11.00 California state surcharge. The schedule lists late fees of $72.50 and $10.00 in two further columns.
• The section cited. SDMC 86.0112(e) prohibits parking or standing a vehicle in violation of any sign or curb marking limiting or regulating parking.
• Newly posted routes. When the City converted some routes to posted signage starting in 2022, its fact sheet said there would be a 30-day grace period following sign installation for areas with new parking restrictions. The current street sweeping page does not say whether that applies to future changes.

Other parking rules, such as red zones, hydrants and blocked driveways, are in our blocked driveways and illegal parking guide.

Both the street sweeping page and the route map say: if your assigned sweeping day falls on a scheduled City holiday, the route will not be swept, and it will be swept on the next assigned sweeping day. The City's fact sheet adds that holidays or rain may affect the sweeping schedule, and to check the website.

Trash collection follows its own holiday schedule run by Environmental Services. See our trash and recycling pickup guide.

Use the Get It Done Street Sweeping form or the Get It Done San Diego app. The City's Guide to Get It Done Reports and Services describes it as a request that a street be swept, and notes that some streets are swept on a regular schedule. The form has no sub-types, so explain in the description what you need, for example that a scheduled sweep did not happen, or that glass or gravel has collected along the curb.

• Estimate. As of November 1, 2026, the form estimates 30 days. The City's Get It Done timeframes list (last updated May 7, 2026) also gives 30 days. The form says its estimate is calculated from the last 6 weeks of data, seasonal trends and staff knowledge.
• Special cleaning. The Stormwater Department says it also cleans bikeways, center medians upon request, and streets before and after many community events, and points to Get It Done for requests.
• Bike lanes. The route map says bike lane maintenance is currently unfunded and will be addressed on a request basis through Get It Done. Our bike lanes and crosswalks guide covers other bike lane problems.

Public litter cans on City streets and sidewalks are handled by the Environmental Services Department. Its page on waste code violations and how to report them lists "Street Litter Container": a public street litter container maintained by the City that is overflowing, damaged, missing or contributing to an accumulation of waste around the container.

• Call, do not use Get It Done. As of November 1, 2026, Street Litter Container is listed among the violations that are not a Get It Done report type. The City says to call the Environmental Services Department Contact Center at 858-694-7000, Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., where staff route the concern to the right team.
• Not illegal dumping. Environmental Services says its Illegal Dumping report type is intended for larger dumped items or larger accumulations of waste, and should not be used for general litter.
• Cans in parks. Overflowing trash cans in a City park go on the Get It Done Park Trash or Litter form, handled by Parks and Recreation. See our park and playground problems guide.
• Household bins left on the sidewalk. A resident's trash, recycling or organics bin left out after collection is a different report, Containers Left Out Beyond Collection Hours. See our trash and recycling pickup guide.

• Needs attention quickly. For a spill, a lost load or other debris in a traffic lane, Get It Done lists 619-527-7500 for urgent street-related issues. Environmental Services also gives this number for urgent hazards after business hours, on weekends and on holidays. If it is an immediate danger, call 911.
• Not urgent. Glass, gravel, sand or litter along the curb can go on the Street Sweeping request.
• Dumped items. A couch, mattress, appliance or pile of trash left on the street or sidewalk is an Illegal Dumping report, handled by Environmental Services. The City's illegal dumping page says to use Get It Done or call 858-694-7000. See our illegal dumping guide.
• Liquids going toward a drain. Oil, paint or other material being dumped or flowing into the gutter is an Illegal Discharge report. See our storm drains and flooding guide.

Street sweeping is partly a storm drain program: the City says debris can block storm drains and cause localized flooding during heavy rains.

• Leaves from City trees. The City's trees FAQ says it does not send maintenance crews out for leaves and seedpods dropping from City-maintained trees onto sidewalks, streets and property. Regular sweeping picks up what is in the gutter on swept streets. See our street trees guide.
• Do not blow or hose yard waste into the street. The Stormwater Department asks residents to report anything other than rain water in the curb, gutter, alley or street, and lists landscaping waste among its examples.
• A drain blocked by leaves or trash. Use the Get It Done Storm Drain report (Clogged Storm Drain or Object in drain). As of November 1, 2026, the form estimates 90 days. If the street is already flooding, that is a Street Flooded report; see our storm drains and flooding guide.

• Location. Drop the map pin on the exact spot and say which side of the street. For a missed sweep, give the block and the day it should have been swept.
• Photos. Get It Done asks for photos that show the surrounding area so crews can locate the request.
• Contact details. Get It Done asks for a name, email and phone number and says it cannot follow up without valid contact information. An account lets you track your reports.

Estimated resolution times, as of November 1, 2026:

These are estimates, not promises, and the City says timeframes vary with available budget and with weather, seasonal or other local impacts. If a problem you reported is still there after the estimate, file a new report and mention your earlier report number. For other problems, see our guide to reporting a problem to the City of San Diego.