TICKET BLITZ! Philly’s Street Cleaning Program Means Business This Year

If you drive and park in Philadelphia, you may want to consider yourself warned. It's spring, and the city is about to start a bit of a parking ticket blitz.

The annual street cleaning program — which began earlier this month— appears to result in more parking tickets being written than ever before.

The city's street cleaning program, which covers 14 high-litter areas, is in effect from April through October.

Notices were distributed on cars in mid-March reminding parkers about the upcoming "street cleaning season"— including in the Point Breeze neighborhood, where I saw them.

The neighborhoods that were affected are:

Fairhill, Kensington, Point Richmond, Germantown, Nicetown, Frankford, Strawberry Mansion, West Philly, Southwest Philly, and South Philly.

Street cleaning occurs weekly (Monday-Thursday) from 9 am until 3 pm. Holidays are exempt, the city says.

Typically, there's a two-hour window one day a week that cars must be moved or they'll be towed. The days of the week vary by the street cleaning schedule, but if you're parking in any of those neighborhoods you'll want to be prepared.

A street sweeping ticket in Philadelphia is $31. Ugh! Nobody wants to pay that, right?

Trust me: the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) already has enough of my money.

Warnings are issued for approximately 30 days when the program starts in April, but that means tickets will be issued in early May. In fact, don't chance it in the next few weeks if you're parking on a weekday in those neighborhoods.

The good news? The vehicles that are in violation are NOT towed by the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA).

The current street-sweeping initiative started in 2019. Though, Philly is actually one of the ONLY major cities in the ENTIRE country that does not have a city-wide street sweeping program. Though, there are talks that may be coming later. We'll believe that when we see it, righT?

A mechanical broom on a vehicle will clear debris. I have to say, I've lived in one of those neighborhoods for several years... and I NEVER saw a street cleaner. However, earlier this week, I DID see a street cleaner on a street.

Additionally, street cleaners will have a backpack blower and hand brooms to clean smaller debris along the sides of the streets.