San Francisco County Municipal Code Ch. 55 Mechanical Street Sweeping

Sec. 55.1. Background. Sec. 55.2. Evaluation of Mechanical Street Sweeping Operations.

(a) The Department of Public Works (“Public Works” or “Department”) provides routine mechanical street sweeping services to clean approximately 90% of San Francisco streets. Mechanical street sweepers remove litter from residential neighborhoods and shopping corridors. The process prevents grime and pollutants from entering the City’s combined sewer system, reducing the quantity of pollutants to be treated in the City’s water treatment facilities. (b) Routine evaluation of mechanical street sweeping operations can better equip Public Works to optimize its operational planning and response to changing street conditions over time. (Added by Ord. 51-26, File No. 251254, App. 4/10/2026, Eff. 5/11/2026)

(a) Periodic Reporting on Performance and Recommendations. At least once every ten years, the Director of Public Works or the Director’s designee (“Director”) shall submit to the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor, and publish on the Department’s website, a written report evaluating the Department’s mechanical street sweeping operations. The report shall include the information identified in subsection (b) of this Section 55.2 and include findings and recommendations on how the Department may improve the performance of

mechanical street sweeping operations. (b) Performance Criteria. The written report may measure performance based on the following criteria and any other criteria that the Director determines to be relevant to evaluate mechanical street sweeping operations: (1) effectiveness and efficiency of mechanical street sweeping equipment; (2) estimated average quantity of debris collected per block, season, mile, or supervisor district; (3) number of requests and complaints from the public concerning street sweeping operations; and (4) rate of route completion as scheduled, including frequency that scheduled street sweeping is not completed and frequency that scheduled street sweeping is delayed. (c) Effects of Other Factors. The written report may consider the effects of the following factors, and any other factors the Director deems relevant, on the effectiveness of mechanical street sweeping operations: (1) traffic volume; (2) land use; (3) sediment and trash accumulation; (4) proximity to bodies of water; (5) illegal parking; (6) traffic control devices in the roadway and bicycle lanes; and (7) the Shared Spaces program, including blocks where mechanical street sweeping is infeasible due to conflicts with the Shared Spaces Program. (d) Recommendations. Each written report shall include recommendations on how to improve the performance of mechanical street sweeping operations, including proposed changes to staffing and the mechanical street sweeping schedule. (e) Initial Report; Subsequent Reports. The Department shall submit its initial written report to the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor no later than March 31, 2027. Thereafter, the Department shall submit a written report to the Board of Supervisors every ten years. (Added by Ord. 51-26, File No. 251254, App. 4/10/2026, Eff. 5/11/2026)