Street Sweeping

Howard County’s street sweeping program is designed to help prevent street dirt from reaching the waterways and the Chesapeake Bay. Curbs are swept four times each year by a contractor using brush sweepers. Each year we remove approximately 1200 tons of debris from more than 1300 miles of curbs.

Each sweeping cycle takes from six to nine weeks to complete. Cycles generally begin in the months of January, April, July and September. In general each cycle begins in the east part of Howard County and moves westward.

For more information, contact the Bureau of Highways.

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Sweeping

Street Sweeping Schedule

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County street sweepers are currently sweeping the following zones:

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Central Zone 1: Alfalfa Ln, Allnutt Ln, Annabel Ct, Arada Ct, Ballymore Ln, Berry Wood Ct, Best Times Path, Blackwatch Ln, Blounts Ln, Blue Flame Ct, Blue Ribbon St, Breeze Ct, Briaridge Ct, Bright Memory Dr, Bucknell Ct, Byefield Rd, Carpenter St, Cashel Ct, Castlebay Ct, Charolais Ct, Chase St, Chesapeake St, Chris Mar Ct, Clarkson Dr, Cleos Ct, Cortina Dr, Creekside Rd, Creekwood Ct, Crossfield Ct, Crows Nest Rd, Deanmar Dr, Duke St, Early Morning St, Edenton Ct, Edenton Rd, Elizabeth Ct, Ellington St, Ellsworth Ct, Elmwood Rd, Erin Dr, Flamewood Dr, Fulton Estates Ct, Galway Dr, Garden Walk, Georgetown Ct, Glorious Light Pl, Golden Corn Dr, Golden Seeds Row, Good Times Ct, Grand Champion St, Green Hill Ct, Grovewood Ct, Guilford Rd, Gunston St, Hallmark Rd, Harrison St, Heather Glen Way, Heather Glen Way, Highgrove Rd, Hitching Post Ct, Holly Loch Ln, Hooper Ct, Hopkins Way, Hunting Ln, Iager Blvd, Isle Of Mann Way, Isle Of Skye Dr, Jeweled Hand Cir, Joan Marie Ct, Johns Hopkins Rd, Judy Ln, Kells Ct, Kilbrogan Ct, Kilkenny Ct, Kondrup Dr, Lairds Way, Langford Ct, Liberty St, Limerick Ct, Loganberry Ln, Long Days Ct, Long View Rd, Longwood St, Lovat Rd, Luster Dr, Maiden Ln, Maple Lawn Blvd, Marabou Ct, Market St, Marlow Rd, Meadow Wood Way, Midtown Rd, Minter Ln, Montell Ct, Montell Dr, Montpelier Rd, Moosberger Ct, Morning Light Trl, Morris St, Mulberry St, Mystic Woods Way, Newberry Dr, Newberry Dr, Nicolar Dr, Old Hopkins Rd, Open Space Ct, Paper Pl, Parchment Rise, Pendulum Ln, Penelope Ct, Pond Field Ct, President St, Prestwick Dr, Raven Ln, Rhythm Rock Way, Rich Lynn Ct, River Clyde Dr, River Oak Ct, Rivers Edge Rd, Rivers Edge Rd, Rivers View Ct, Roslyn Ct, Rowley Rd, Saint Patricks Ct, Sandy Creek Ct, Sanner Rd, Santa Lucia Ave, Santa Maria Ave, Severn St, Shannon Ct, Silent Dell Ln, Sorghum Ct, South Trotter Rd, Spring Ave, Stabean Dr, Styer Ct, Surrey Ln, Swing Ct, Syracuse Ct, Tall Pine Way, Tara Pl, Tawes St, Terrace Ln, Terrace Lnc1, Tilghman St, Timber Creek Ct, Tipperary Ct, Tolling Bells Ct, Trail Creek Ct, Trappe St, Tuckahoe Ct, Turtle Creek Ct, Villad’est Dr, Vista Rd, Wake Forest Rd, Waking Dreams Knoll, Walnut Creek Ct, Walter Scott Way, Walter Scott Way, Water St, Westside Blvd, Westside Blvdc1, Whitegate Rd, Wolf Creek Ct, Woodscape Dr. 
 
Central Zone 2:
 April Day Garth, Bare Bush Path, Bare Sky Ln, Barrow Downs, Battersea Ln, Beatrice Way, Beaverkill Rd, Billingsgate Row, Blacksmith Dr, Blue February Way, Blue Flag Way, Blue Paper Trl, Bridgehead Ct, Bright Passage, Broken Oak Ln, Buckleberry Path, Bucksaw Ct, Cedar Ln, Cedar Ln, Cedar Oaks Ln, Celestial Way, Cricket Hollow Ct, Dark Fire Way, Driftwood Ct, Eight Bells Ln, Elfstone Way, Eliots Oak Rd, Endicott Ln, Endymion Ln, Evangeline Way, Even Star Pl, Fallriver Row Ct, Far Edge Path, Gaslight Pl, Gerfalcon Rd, Gold Needle Way, Gold Ribbon Way, Grand Banks Rd, Gray Star Way, Green Dragon Ct, Green Meadow Dr, Harpers Farm Rd, Harvest Moon Ln, Harvest Scene, Heathertoe Ln, Henley Ct, Hesperus Dr, High Hay Dr, Hildebrand Ct, Iron Crown Ct, Iron Pen Pl, Ivy Bush Ln, Killingworth Way, Lakewater Ln, Light House Ct, Lightfall Ct, Lightfoot Path, Lone Tree Ct, Mad River Ln, Millbank Row, Morningmist Ln, Mystic Ct, New Country Ln, Northern Fences Ln, Oakenshield Cir, Old Tucker Row, Open Window, Paul Revere Ride, Peartree Way, Phantom Ct, Proud Foot Pl, Ravenhill Row, Red Stream Way, Rivendell, Rock Coast Rd, Rondel Pl, Round Tower Pl, Rum Cay Ct, Rushlight Path, Shell Flower Ln, Sleepy Horse Ln, Snow Patch Way, Southern Star Ter, Stonegate Ln, Straight Star Pl, Suffield Ct, Summer Day Ln, Sun Circle Way, Swansfield Rd, Sweet Land Way, Thistle Brook Ct, Three Kings Ln, Tooks Way, Turnabout Ln, Twin Rivers Rd, Two Ships Ct, Watchwood Path, Wave Lap Way, Wellinghall Way, Wellinghall Wayc2, White Cord Way, Willow Bottom Dr, Winding Star Cir, Windmill Ln, Wineglass Ct, Winterlong Way, Wood Elves Way, Woodcutter Way, Wooded Way, Woodlot Rd, Woodnote Ln, Yellow Rush Pass, Yellowbell Ln, Youngtree Ct. 
 
Central Zone 3:
 Amesbury Dr, August Light, Aver Ct, Banneker Rd, Barcan Cir, Beaverbrook Rd, Beavertail Ct, Beech Creek Dr, Berrypick Ln, Big Woods Ct, Bishops Head Ct, Blue Heron Ln, Bushwood Way, Butler Ct, Castle Moor Dr, Catterskill Ct, Chase Lions Way, Claiborne Cir, Cloudburst Hill, Columbia Rd, Cottonwood Way, Crimson Tree Ct, Cross Fox Ln, Cullen Ter, Darlington Rd, Darting Bird Ln, Darvel Cir, Davidge Dr, Dawn Marie Ct, Daystar Ct, Dover Ct, Downwest Ride, Durham Ct, Durham Road East, Durham Road West, Evening Wind Ct, Fable Row, Faulkner Ridge Cir, Flattail Ct, Flowertuft Ct, Fox Grape Ter, Freshaire Ln, Gloucester Rd, Good Hours Pl, Goodbody Ct, Governor Warfield Pkwy, Gray Owl Garth, Greek Boy Pl, Green Bough Ct, Green Dory Ln, Green Mountain Cir, Gulf Stream Row, Hayload Ct, Hermit Path, High Tide Ct, Homecoming Ln, Hyla Brook Rd, Jason Ct, Jason Ln, Lake Cir, Lake Circle Ct, Lake Circle West, Leaf Treader Way, Little Patuxent Pkwy, Lynngate Ct, Lynngate Rd, Lynx Ln, Marble Faun Ln, May Wind Ct, Midsummer Ln, Moonfall Way, Morning Glory Ct, Morning Wind Ln, New Moon Pl, Nightmist Ct, Olde Woods Way, Open Sky, Oven Bird Green, Painted Cup, Pale Orchis Ct, Pasture Gate Ln, Placid Lake Ct, Rain Dream Hill, Reedy Brook Ln, Ring Dove Ln, Rivulet Row, Settler Pl, Silas Choice, Snowy Reach, South Entrance Rd, Spotted Horse Ln, Spring Pools Ln, Starsplit Ln, Still Corners, Stoneboat Row, Symphony Woods Rd, Tarkington Pl, Teal Ct, Ten Mills Rd, The Bridle Path, The Mending Wall, Thicket Ln, Tolling Clock Way, Trumpeter Rd, Vantage Point Rd, Waterfowl Ter, West Running Brook Rd, Whetstone Rd, Wild Flower Ter, Wild Turkey Ln, Wilde Lake Ter, William Tell Ln, Wincopin Cir, Windstream Dr, Windstream Dr, Woodam Ct, Woodenhawk Cir, Woodward Gardens. 

Weather permitting, sweeping operations are scheduled on weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and attempts to avoid conflicts with trash collection and recycling days. 

Frequently Asked Questions

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Why are the roads swept?

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Sweeping helps remove road dirt and contaminants before they reach the waterways and the Chesapeake Bay.

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Will a sweeper be sweeping my street?

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All curbs on the County road network are swept four times each year. Roads without curbs are not usually swept because the sweeper is less effective on roads without curbs. Additionally, grass swales on open section roads are very effective in filtering out road dirt and contaminants before they enter the waterways.

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Why didn’t the sweeper pick up the leaves on my street?

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Sweepers are not designed to pick up leaves. Large quantities of leaves will clog sweeper filters, spreading the leaves over a large area. Sweeper operators will avoid areas of curb containing an excessive number of leaves.

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Why did the sweeper fail to sweep random areas on my street?

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Sweepers may have found it necessary to maneuver around vehicles parked on the street. In that instance, residents can call the Bureau of Highways at 410-313-7450 and a supervisor will investigate any missed areas.

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Why does the sweeper make multiple passes on my street?

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The sweeper operator may be driving around the block to finish cleaning an intersection. Driving around the block to complete a sweep is often times a safer approach than backing up to sweep. The sweeper operator may also have determined that the first pass did not sufficiently clean the curb line. This approach is usually viewed as a sign of a conscientious operator as the contract reimbursement is based on the actual curb length rather than the number of passes.

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Will I receive notification of when the sweepers are coming to my street?

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Howard County is divided into 29 sweeping areas with each area requiring, on average, a day to sweep. Currently, Homeowners Associations on our address list are notified several times each week by e-mail of major scheduled work in the County, including areas being swept that day and often the two or three days that follow. Please call the Bureau of Highways if an email address needs to be added to the announcement distribution list.

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Why does the sweeping schedule sometimes coincide with trash and recycling collection days?

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The 29 sweeping areas were developed for the quickest continuous sweeping effort to obtain the best competitive bid. These areas do not align with the current 15 trash and recycling collection routes and 75 sub routes. The County GIS system is being used to investigate improvements in coordinating these two major efforts.

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Why are sweeper crews working in the winter when the roads are frozen?

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The January sweeping effort actually collects more road debris than the spring and summer cycles, and it is one of most effective ways of collecting the road debris prior the spring rains.

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