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 at 410-313-7450 or email highways@howardcountymd.gov.
Street Sweeping Schedule
County street sweepers are currently sweeping the following zone(s):
East Zone 9: Arden Ct, Ashberry Ct, Ashberry Ct, Bill Lilly Ct, Bing Cherry Ct, Birchtree Ln, Bishops Gate Ln, Blue Bird Trace, Cabot Ct, Cardinal Ct, Cardinal Forest Cir, Castlebury Ct, Castlerock Ct, Castlewood Ct, Chaucers Ridge Ct, Cherry Laurel Ct, Cherrybrook Ct, Cherrystone Ct, Crest Rd, Cresthill Ct, Cross Timbers, Doves Fly Way, Dumhart Rd, Early Bud Way, Evermore Ct, Felsview Dr, Flowering Cherry Ln, Harvest Way, Haven Hill Ct, Heatherwold Dr, Herons Flight, Hesperian Dr, Hickory Hills Ln, Hidden Pool Ct, Honeyhill Rd, Hummingbird Ct, Ice Crystal Dr, Jamestown Ct, Jandy Ave, Knights Landing Ct, Knox Ct, Leslie Dr, Mayflower Ct, Old Scaggsville Rd, Old Scaggsville Rd, Oxford Crest Ln, Oxley Forest Ct, Pembrook Woods, Pilgrim Ave, Pinenut Ct, Pineway Ct, Pineway Dr, Redbridge Ct, Riverbrink Ct, Rockland Dr, Rooster Ct, Rosemont Dr, Sand Cherry Ln, Scholars Ln, Scholars Ln, Scotts Landing Rd, Shears Ct, Sonnet Ct, Spring Blossom Ct, Stansfield Rd, Susini Dr, Sweet Cherry Ln, Sweet Cherry Ln, Teresa Ln, Tipton Dr, Tower Dr, Water Fall Dr, Waterside Ct, Wehland Ct, Wild Cherry Ct, Willow Wisp Ct, Windsor Walk Ct, Wispy Branch Ct, Woods End Dr, Yellow Bird Ct.
East Zone 10: Albert Einstein Dr, Alexander Bell Dr, Benjamin Franklin Dr, Berger Rd, Berger Rd, Black Velvet Ln, Book Row, Carters Ln, Cartersville Rd, Chessie Ln, Cold Star Ct, Coleman Thomas Rd, Coleman Thomas Rd, Columbia Gateway Dr, Commerce Center Dr, Connell Ct, Constant Course, Corn Tassel Ct, Deep Smoke, Deerfoot Way, Dragonclaw, Early Spring Way, Eli Whitney Dr, Eli Whitney Dr, Footprint Pl, Gateway Building crossover, Gerwig Ln, Gerwig Ln, Glen Oaks Ln, Golden Rod Path, Gracious End Ct, Granite Hill, Gray Mouse Way, Green Moon Path, Half Dollar Ct, Hastings Dr, Hidden Cove, Hingston Downs, Hundred Drums Row, Hurstborne Rd, Indigo Ct, John Mcadam Dr, Keepsake Way, Lady Bug Row, Lambeth Ct, Lee Deforest Dr, Lumberjack Row, Many Flower Ln, Many Mile Mews, Moonrider Ln, Morning Leap Ter, Morning Mews, Natures Rd, NB Snowden River To Robt Fulton Ramp, Nightsong Ln, Oakhurst Dr, Pirates Cove, Polished Stone, Procopio Cir, Quarry Bridge Ct, Red Apple Ln, Red Rain Path, Ridgeview Dr, Robert Fulton Dr, Robt Fulton To Nb Snowden River Ramp, Robt Fulton To Sb Snowden River Ramp, Rommel Dr, Sandlight Ct, Sb Snowden River To Robt Fulton Ramp, Sea Shadow, Single Bird Ln, Slow Rain Way, Solar Walk, Solar Walk, Spring Water Path, Stirling Bridge Dr, Sunfall Ct, Sweet Grass Ridge, Tall Window Way, Thomas Edison Dr, Thornton Woods Way, Twilight Ct, Vollmerhausen Dr, Vollmerhausen Rd, West Window Way, White Spring Way, Wilbur Ct, Wild Grass Ct, Windbeat Way.
East Zone 11: All Saints Rd, All Saints Rd, Baltimore Ave, Baroness Ct, Birkenhead Ct, Bolton St, Breamore Ct, Brevard St, Brewers Ct, Brewington Ln, Burley Ln, Chaton Rd, Chippenham Dr, Cissell Ave, Coronet Ct, Daly Ct, Dapper Town Row, Distant Lochs Sq, Donnan Castle Ct, Durant Ave, Durness Ln, Earl Levy Ct, Falling Waters Ct, Far Fields Way, Fens Hollow, Fulton Ave, Glen Ridge Dr, Glendower Ct, Gordon Ct, Gorman Rd, Haddaway Pl, Hadleigh Ct, Halstead Ave, Harmony Ln, Hill St, Holly Brothers Ct, Homestretch Ct, Horsham Dr, Howland Rd, Iron Stone Ct, Ironleaf Trl, Jackson Ct, Jaclyn Ct, Jasmine Ct, Jeanne Ct, Jennifer Ct, Jester Ct, Katie Ln, Kenbrooke Ct, Kendal Cir, Kings Grant Rd, Kings Post Ct, Kingswood Ct, Knights Bridge Rd, Knights Ct, Lawson Ln, Linville Ave, Loch Leven Ct, Maggies Way, Manorwood Rd, Maryland Ave, Mason Ln, Maxwell Ct, Mellow Ct, Melody Dr, Melody Dr, Meredith Ave, Meredith Ave, Norfolk Ave, Norfolk Ave, North Eternal Rings Dr, North Laurel Rd, North Laurel Rd, Northgate Rd, Odelton Ct, Old Lantern Way, Old Lantern Way, Overton Dr, Park Ave, Patuxent Ln, Promise Ct, Pure Waters Way, Queens Guard Ct, Queens Post Ct, Ridings Way, Royal Path Cove, Sewall Ave, Sewall Ave, Shantha Ct, Sombersby Ct, South Eternal Rings Dr, Spratley Ave, Spratley Ave, Squires Ct, Stebbing Way, Steeple Ct, Stephens Rd, Sterling Dr, Ulster Dr, Vintage Earth Path, Washington Ave, Washington Ave, Whiskey Bottom Rd, Whiskey Bottom Rd, Woodsedge Ct, Woodsong Ct.
For questions or concerns about this program, please contact the Bureau of Highways at 410-313-7450 or email highways@howardcountymd.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are the roads swept?
Sweeping helps remove road dirt and contaminants before they reach the waterways and the Chesapeake Bay.
Will a sweeper be sweeping my street?
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.
Why didn’t the sweeper pick up the leaves on my street?
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.
Why did the sweeper fail to sweep random areas on my street?
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.
Why does the sweeper make multiple passes on my street?
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.
Will I receive notification of when the sweepers are coming to my street?
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.
Why does the sweeping schedule sometimes coincide with trash and recycling collection days?
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.
Why are sweeper crews working in the winter when the roads are frozen?
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.