Street maintenance is carried out in Helsinki in order to retain streets in a clean condition adequate for traffic. Maintenance includes the washing of streets as well as winter maintenance, including the clearing of snow and gritting of streets. In addition, the maintenance of street surfaces, traffic signs and fixtures is also a part of street maintenance.

The City Council annually determines the amount of money available for street maintenance.

In addition to the Public Works Department, Helsinki has thousands of other parties involved in street maintenance. They are caretakers, property management companies, house owners and other city departments and agencies. Under the law, the responsibility of street maintenance is divided between the city and private properties.

As a rule, the city is responsible for the winter maintenance of carriageways and individual properties are responsible for the pavements. In the summer, the removal of dirt and rubbish is the responsibility of properties. The city is responsible for the condition of the street surfaces.

Maintenance responsibility to be increasingly transferred to the City

In many suburban areas, the responsibility for street maintenance has been transferred from the individual properties to the city. Excluding the central areas of the city, the maintenance of all streets in Helsinki will become the responsibility of the City in the coming years.

The cost of tasks previously handled by individual properties will be covered by an annual charge levied on all properties.

Diagram of the street maintenance responsibilities
Act on the maintenance and cleaning of streets and certain public areas (Finlex, only in Finnish)