Fall cleanup and leaf removal in St. Clair Shores
Leaves off the lawn and out of the beds before St. Clair Shores’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 St. Clair Shores
Last 2026 curbside pickup: December 11, 2026 (the second Friday in December). Collected by: Express Waste.
The city says yard waste goes to the curb from March 30, 2026 through the second Friday in December, collected by Express Waste. Use paper lawn bags (40 pounds max, never plastic) or a lidded 32-gallon container marked "Yard Waste" or "Compost" (60 pounds max); cut brush to 4 feet or less, keep branches 4 inches thick or less, and tie bundles under 60 pounds. Set it out after 6 p.m. the night before and by 7 a.m. City code makes it unlawful to set fire to leaves or brush (Sec. 16-356); only hardwood logs in an approved container are allowed.
Source: St. Clair Shores: Garbage, Recycling & Yard Waste; St. Clair Shores Code, Ch. 16, Art. XII. Checked October 2026. Hauler dates change, so confirm the last week with St. Clair Shores before you count on it.
When to book a fall cleanup in St. Clair Shores
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.
St. Clair Shores specifics
ZIP codes: 48080, 48081, 48082.
Water: Lake St. Clair and 14 miles of canals. Leaves blown into the street wash into storm drains and on toward Lake St. Clair, so they belong in bags, carts or the lawn, not the gutter.
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 St. Clair Shores.
Questions people actually ask
When is the last yard waste pickup in St. Clair Shores in 2026?
December 11, 2026 (the second Friday in December), according to St. Clair Shores: Garbage, Recycling & 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 St. Clair Shores
Book a St. Clair Shores fall cleanup
Request a quote in two minutes. The quote lists exactly what is included and where the leaves go.