The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is launching a street cleaning pilot before bringing back local street cleaning citywide. This is in addition to regular street cleaning of major arterials and collector streets, bike lanes, and our fall/winter Leaf Day service.
The pilot covers about 650 households and some area businesses in portions of the Kenton, Cathedral Park, and the St. Johns neighborhoods. Crews will clean these streets once a month in July, August, and September 2026. If your residence or business is within the pilot area, you should have received a mailer around the week of June 15. You probably have also noticed new signs posted in your neighborhood as well.
For this pilot, crews will only sweep and flush one side of the street at a time. This will make it easier for everyone to move vehicles and other objects from the road during cleaning.
In a pilot area? Be sure to follow new signs on your block, view maps of the pilot areas, and track which cycle you’re on with the information on our website: www.portland.gov/transportation/maintenance/cleaning-pilot
Miss the mailer with this information? Download a PDF version here: PBOT Street Cleaning Pilot – Mailer
Here are some things you can do to help us clean your street:
- Move any vehicles parked on your side of the street so our crews can do a good thorough job.
- Remove obstacles like basketball hoops and garbage bins before your cleaning day. Trim overhanging branches. Our machines are up to 11-feet high. Low-hanging limbs prevent them from hugging the edge of the street and getting the best clean. Schedule landscaping drop-offs like mulch, soil, or gravel so you have time to clear it from the street before your next cleaning.
- Do NOT rake leaves or additional debris into the street. This is not like fall Leaf Day service. Our schedule and equipment cannot handle the extra debris.
The city has committed to bringing street cleaning back citywide to local streets like yours, up to four times per year. After we’re done with the pilot in your neighborhood, PBOT will launch a survey to evaluate how it went.