Street Sweeping

Our Public Works division conducts an annual spring street sweeping program. The purpose of this program is to clean all hard-surfaced streets of sand deposited during its winter control operations as well as other debris deposited on the road over the course of the winter. 

Spring street sweeping improves water quality and the environment by removing pollutants that can be transferred to downstream water bodies through urban runoff through the storm sewer system. The street sweeping program also improves the cleanliness and aesthetics of Town streets and parking lots.

The Town will post (typically in April of each year) reminders to residents about the spring street sweeping program and advising residents not to park on the road during the time in which the street sweeping activities are to commence in your area.

What We Do!

  • Conduct an annual town-wide street sweeping program, which includes district roads in the Town of Gravenhurst. The street sweeping program typically commences in mid-May of any given year. The initial town-wide sweep takes approximately six to seven weeks to complete, depending on weather. Our local streets are completed once as part of the regular rotation, and again if it is determined a repeat visit is required; and
  • As with roads, our sidewalks sweeping program commences in mid-May of any given year and takes about six to seven weeks to complete, depending on weather.

How You can Help? 

  • Ensure vehicles do not overhang onto the road or sidewalk;
  • Keep basketball or hockey nets off the road and away from the edge of the curb;
  • Ensure waste / recycling containers are not placed on the road;
  • DO NOT park vehicles on the road during street sweeping operations; and
  • DO NOT sweep / push sand and other debris into piles on the road.

 Unassumed streets within the Town are not swept by town forces; they are the responsibility of the developer. If your area is unassumed, please call your Developer regarding the condition of your street.

 Frequently Asked Questions
 When will my street be swept?
Street sweeping usually starts mid-May until mid to early July. It is usually expected to be completed within the approximate 6 to 7 weeks, weather permitting.  Refer the schedule above for this year’s street sweeping program.

There was a car parked in front of my residence. Will the Town come back and sweep this area?
The Town asks resident to minimize residential street parking, when possible, during this process to ensure best results. Town staff does not typically go back to streets to clean up areas that were missed because of parked vehicles.
The sweepers left a pile of sand that I swept up on the road. Why?
Sweepers are designed to sweep only normal build-up of sand on the curb edge. Any sand that is swept into a pile by the resident cannot be swept up by the sweeper, as this machine is not capable of doing so. Please leave sand in its normal state, as the sweepers can make the most production out of this.
 The sweeper went by and I’ve been left with a bigger mess than before. Why?

Sometimes the actual sweeping process is a two part process. The first sweeper that goes by is designed to pick up the bulk of the sand. Following that, another sweeper will pick up the finer sand and does a cleanup pass.

Another reason could be a result of rain. If the roads become too wet the sand tends to get spread around, appearing to be messy. The Town will not sweep in the rain for this very reason, but if the Town is commencing sweeping and it starts to rain, the sweeper will come back and re-sweep the area.
 Report a Problem

To Report a concern with Street Sweeping, Contact Us at:705-687-3412 ext 256 or use our online form

Complaints are addressed on a priority and scheduling basis.

Contact Us