Streets & Right Of Way
Our street maintenance section is responsible for maintaining more than 300 miles of streets and includes repairing potholes, eliminating hazardous sidewalk conditions with temporary repairs, repairing pavement failures prior to resurfacing or replacement, grading shoulders & alleys, graffiti removal in the public right-of-way, street sweeping, leaf collection, traffic signals, streetlights, signs, markings, and responding to other emergency street conditions as needed.
Service Request
For issues with roads, street, lights, sidewalks, signs, traffic lights:
Please send us an email or give us a call at at (530) 894-4200
Sidewalks
Generally, adjacent property owners are responsible to maintain and repair the sidewalk around their property. If you see a hazard, please call us and we can assist with an immediate, temporary fix until permanent repairs can be made. To view the City’s Municipal Code on Sidewalk Repair, click here: Chico Municipal Code Title 14, Chapter 14.20 – Sidewalk Repair
Street Sweeping
When: Every two weeks February through October; except on holidays and during leaf collection.Where: Public city streets with established paved shoulders and established curbs. No private roads, alleys, or unincorporated Butte County roads.
Why: Prevents debris from entering storm drain systems, creeks and streams. Helps prevent localized flooding and keeps our streets and waterways clean and safe.
Every year, street sweeping helps keep our streets, storm drains, and waterways clean and safe by removing over 5,000 cubic yards of material from the roadway.
The City performs its street sweeping cycles as efficiently as possible. The sweeping routes have been developed based
upon many factors; including current staff and equipment resources, curb/street mileage, dumping location, travel times, traffic patterns, trash collection days, etc. Deviation from the established routes causes major disruption of street sweeping in other areas of the City.
The City strives to perform a complete sweep to keep debris from entering the storm drain system and eventually waterways. To provide optimum service, the City is also asking for your cooperation in moving automobiles and other items into driveways and off the street or gutter on the days the street is swept.
The City would also like to remind anyone performing landscape maintenance services that blowing and leaving landscape vegetation and lawn debris on a public street, gutter, or sidewalk is a violation of the Chico Municipal Code. These materials should be picked up and disposed of properly.
Leaf Collection
When: November through January. Beginning January 1st, crews will complete one last cycle through the entire City (which usually takes about the whole month of January to complete). After the last pickup on your street in January, no more leaves may be placed in the street. Because the amount and timing of leaf drop can vary, there is no set day of the week for leaf pickup. Each cycle through the City can take 4-6 weeks.
Where: All public City streets, subject to City Code in the More Information section below.
Why: Provides a convenient option for residents to dispose of their leaves. Prevents debris from entering storm drain systems, creeks and streams. Helps prevent localized flooding and keeps our waterways clean and safe. This program collects and recycles leaves for City residents during the fall and winter leaf pick-up season.
Due to varying degrees of leaf drop and available resources, we can not establish a set day or date when we pick up leaves in any one part of the City.
We cycle through the City in a clockwise pattern. We start in the southwest par
t of the city (west of Highway 99), proceed northward to the City limits, cross over Hwy. 99, head south to complete the cycle, and then repeat this process. Each cycle can take 4-6 weeks, depending upon the amount of leaves to collect.
Routine street sweeping is suspended from November through January.
Leaves should be piled on the shoulder a few feet away from the front of the property line. Place piles away from the curb to allow storm water to drain. Do not block storm drain inlets, bike lanes, vehicle lanes, or driveways.
Section 8.12.120 C. entitled “Seasonal Leaf Pickup Program” of the Chico Municipal Code prohibits all property owners, managers, and landscapers servicing commercial or multifamily properties with 3 or more units from depositing leaves in the streets adjacent to these properties. For these properties, the City encourages the use of curbside yard waste containers, or the Compost Facility located at 4441 Cohasset Road, open Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
All of our available dump trucks, loaders and assigned staff are dedicated to this program. The City utilizes loaders with a leaf claw attachment that picks up the leaves and places them in dump trucks modified with a large leaf box. Leaves are then taken to the City’s compost facility at 4441 Cohasset Rd. to be composted.
Only leaves should be placed in the leaf pile — no branches, sticks, tree limbs, grass, trash, bags, etc.
For leaf pick-up information, please call the Leaf Pickup Hotline at (530) 894-4205.
Traffic Signals
The City maintains over 100 traffic signals. If you come across a signal that is dark or flashing red, remember to treat it as a stop sign.
Signs & Markings
The City maintains over 17,000 signs and many more pavement markings.
The City of Chico owns and maintains nearly 5,000 energy efficient and dark sky compliant LED streetlights. To report a light out, give us a call or send us a message with the following information:
- Streetlight number (Located on a steel or decorative pole)
- Address near streetlight
- Nearest cross street
- Problem with streetlight (blinking, off, pole needs repair, etc.)
PG&E owns and maintains over 2,000 street lights within the Chico City Limits. Any streetlight on a wooden pole is a PG&E streetlight. Please contact them directly at https://www.pge.com/en_US/residential/customer-service/home-services/street-light-outages/street-light-outages.page