Summer street maintenance

Dirt and litter

The Act on the maintenance, cleaning and clearing of public areas divides responsibilities of the street maintenance between the City and private properties. The majority of responsibilities are transferred to the City in large parts of the city (so called total street maintenance responsibility). In some parts responsibilities are divided traditionally. See the map of the area boundaries.

The areas of traditional division of responsibilities (map)

Properties are responsible for the following:

• Properties are mainly responsible for the removal of dirt, litter and loose items from streets – that is, keeping streets clean.
• Properties are responsible for cleaning sidewalks at their sites and roadways to the centre line but no more than 15 metres from the curb, or 24 metres if there are plants on the street.
• Properties are responsible for emptying waste containers at bus and tram stops if the stops are on a sidewalk at the property.

The City is responsible for the following:

• The Urban Environment Division cleans squares and any sections of streets with plants.
• The City is responsible for sidewalks and bikeways at City-managed property and parks. The City Survey Services carries out the work at property and the Citizen and Corporate services at parks. The same division applies to waste containers on streets.
• Bus and tram stops on islands in the middle of a street are the responsibility of Helsinki City Transport HKL.

The areas of total street maintenance responsibility (map)

Street maintenance tasks have been taken over by the City. However, driveways and other passageways to property are always maintained by the property owner or holder. See the map of area boundaries (in Finnish). The costs for tasks that used to belong to properties are covered with maintenance fees charged by the City.

Pavements and street furniture

The City maintains street and sidewalk pavements and traffic signs in good condition. However, properties must report any damage in their street sections to the Urban Environment Division's customer service. The City also paints the signs on pavements.