Fall cleanup and leaf removal in Center Line
Leaves off the lawn and out of the beds before Center Line’s last yard waste pickup and the first snow. Quoted after a look at your yard, with the scope in writing.
Leaf and yard waste pickup in Center Line
Last 2026 curbside pickup: mid-December 2026 (the 2026 calendar says December 15; Priority's web page says December 11). Collected by: Priority Waste.
Priority Waste's 2026 Center Line calendar says compost is picked up on collection day from March 15 to December 15. The city requires brown paper bags or containers no larger than 35 gallons with a free "Compost" sticker from City Hall, never plastic bags, and fall leaves must go in those containers or kraft bags; leaving leaves in the street is an ordinance violation (Sec. 62-19). The city DPW picks up and chips brush placed on the curb easement on Wednesdays. City code bans recreational fires and burning leaves, grass or brush (Sec. 38-3).
Source: City of Center Line: Compost and Yard Waste; City of Center Line: Public Works; Priority Waste: City of Center Line 2026 calendar; Center Line Code, Sec. 38-3. Checked October 2026. Hauler dates change, so confirm the last week with Center Line before you count on it.
When to book a fall cleanup in Center Line
Work backward from that last pickup. A cleanup that bags leaves for the curb has to happen before it, ideally a week or more ahead so a rain delay does not leave bags sitting until spring. Most yards are ready once the bulk of the trees have dropped; oaks hold their leaves later than most, so yards under them may need a later date or a second pass. At Detroit Metro Airport the median first freeze is October 29 and the median first two-inch snow is December 12.
What a fall cleanup covers
- Leaves off the lawn. Leaves blown and raked out of the turf, along fences and out of corners, so nothing sits matted on the grass under the first snow.
- Beds and borders cleared. Leaves and debris pulled out of beds, from under shrubs and along foundations, where they hold moisture against siding and attract rodents.
- The right plants cut back. Diseased or flopped perennial foliage cut back and annuals pulled. Healthy seed heads and stems that shelter pollinators can stay if you want them to.
- A final mow. A last cut at a normal height, which leaves the lawn tidy for winter without scalping it.
- Leaves handled your community’s way. Bagged in paper yard-waste bags, set in a marked can or cart, or mulched into the lawn. The quote says which, before we start.
Every quote names which of these your yard gets. We do not apply fertilizer or weed control, and we do not do gutters, roof work or trees.
Center Line specifics
ZIP codes: 48015.
Then the snow
A fall cleanup is the right moment to get on a snow route. Past a 2-inch trigger we dispatch automatically and text you when your route starts. See snow removal in Center Line.
Questions people actually ask
When is the last yard waste pickup in Center Line in 2026?
Mid-December 2026 (the 2026 calendar says December 15; Priority's web page says December 11), according to City of Center Line: Compost and Yard Waste. Book a fall cleanup that bags leaves for the curb at least a week before it.
Where do the leaves go?
That is set on the quote before we start, following your community’s yard-waste rules. Most Macomb County communities collect leaves at the curb in paper yard-waste bags or a marked can or cart on trash day, and state law keeps yard waste out of household trash. Some yards can take their leaves mulched into the lawn instead.
Is one cleanup enough?
For most yards, yes, if it happens after the trees have dropped. Oaks and some other trees hold their leaves into late fall, so a yard under them may need a second pass. If yours looks like one, the quote says so up front rather than surprising you later.
Do you clean gutters or apply fertilizer?
No. We do not do gutters or any roof work, and we do not apply fertilizer, weed control or any other product. Fall cleanup is leaves, beds, cutbacks and the final mow.
Before you rake
Leaf pickup in Macomb County: when it ends in 2026, and the rules in every community
When curbside leaf and yard waste pickup ends in fall 2026 in all 26 Macomb County communities, the bag and can rules, and where burning leaves is banned.
7 min read Lawn & fall cleanupFall cleanup checklist for a Michigan yard, in the order that actually works
A fall cleanup checklist for Michigan yards: leaves, beds, perennials, the last mow, hoses and the driveway edge, in the order that works before the first snow.
3 min read Lawn & fall cleanupWhen to do a fall cleanup in Macomb County: the dates that decide it
When to schedule a fall cleanup in Macomb County: first freeze and first snow dates from 30 years of NOAA records, and when yard waste pickup ends in 2026.
3 min readFall cleanup near Center Line
Book a Center Line fall cleanup
Request a quote in two minutes. The quote lists exactly what is included and where the leaves go.