Do You Legally Have To Rake Your Leaves In New York?
As the leaves fall and pile up are you legally responsible for getting rid of them or can you just allow nature to take its course?
Besides shoveling snow the one landscaping task that I have the most disdain for is clearing leaves in the fall. It seems like a never ending task. Even once it snows there always seems to be more leaves to clear away.
Recently after already have done three rounds of leaf clearing I asked myself, "Do I even have to do this? Is there a law that states that in New York State I have to get rid of these things?"
So I did the research so you don't have to. What I found is that there are laws about how to get rid of leaves, but there is nothing that says you actually have to do it. What is basically comes down to is curb appeal. No one wants a yard covered in fall foliage.
Depending on where you live in New York there are certain ways to dispose of leave, but you can never burn them. Ever. That's totally illegal.
Read More: Illegal To Burn Leaves In New York State
In the City of Albany you have to put leaves into yard waste bags or they simply will not remove them when they come around to pick up yard waste.
Yard waste will not be collected unless it is placed in a paper biodegradable bag. Absolutely no plastic bags. -albanyny.gov
That same rule applies in New York City, but you can also use special containers to put yard waste in as well.
I think if you're going to dispose of your leaves they should be in the yard waste bags because anyone who has lived in a town that allows people to just pile them up knows that creates much more of a mess.
If you don't want a yard cluttered with leave but also don't want to bag them there are some alternatives that the DEC suggest. Many people will mulch the leaves or turn them into compost.
While the leaves are beautiful to look at as they change colors, there isn't anything beautiful about cleaning them up throughout the fall. Do it if you want, but there's nothing that says you have to except for your nosy neighbor who doesn't enjoy looking at them.
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