You can be fined up to $10,000 for improperly raking leaves in Vancouver

Oct 11 2019, 7:01 pm

While the changing colour of the leaves during the fall season in Vancouver brings spectacular colour to the city, it can also potentially bring a hefty fine to residents who do not properly dispose of the leaves once they hit the ground.

Under the city’s Street and Traffic By-Laws, “raking or blowing leaves onto the street is a fineable offence, up to $10,000.”

And with the sun sticking around for a short while longer, residents are advised to sweep the leaves from the ground now, before the rain turns them into sopping wet, messy piles.

Leaves can be put into Green Bins for collection, and if those fill up, leaves can be added to yard waste bags for pickup on designated weekends.

As for leaf removal from Vancouver’s streets, the city said crews remove leaves from streets on a regular basis between November and January, “once most leaves have fallen.” Leaf collection starts downtown and proceeds south.

For streets marked for an extra sweep, temporary “no parking” signs are posted on one side of the street at a time. The signs show a date for when a mechanical street sweeper will remove the remaining leaves. A sweeper takes two consecutive days to collect leaves, one day for each side of the street, but it’s up to residents to clear sidewalks.

If temporary “no stopping” signs are posted on your side of the street, all vehicles must be removed from the street by 7 am on the date marked on the sign.

Vehicles parked in street leaf cleaning “no stopping” zones will be issued a fine of $100 ($60 discounted penalty if paid within 14 days) and will be towed.

So get those fall foliage photos for your Insta feed while you can, but don’t forget to properly clear all those pretty colours off your property once you’re finished.

Eric ZimmerEric Zimmer

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