An effort by the city to clean debris and pollutants along curbed streets has become an annual annoyance for drivers parking their cars.
In April, the city handed out 479 tickets and impounded 305 vehicles, Debbie Briner, a spokesperson for the Department of Public Service, said in an email.
Street sweeping runs from April through October, and the University District's monthly sweep occurs on the second Thursday and second Friday of each month.
In April 2025, parking violations during street sweeping resulted in 502 tickets and 281 impounded vehicles.
"This season, May will be a split sweeping month — that’s because the second Thursday of May falls after the second Friday of May," Briner said. "So we’ll be out sweeping on Friday, May 8, and again next Thursday, May 14. This allows us to stay consistent with all the existing street sweeping signage throughout the University District that indicates the street’s no parking day (second Thursday or Friday) and time restrictions for sweeping."
Briner said before each season, Parking Services places a flyer on all cars parked on the street that includes the monthly street sweeping calendar.
Street sweeping is a pollution prevention practice, targeted at stopping sediment and phosphorous from affecting local watersheds, including the Olentangy River.
