Frequently Asked Questions

Will the City repair the sidewalk in front of my house?  Sidewalk maintenance is the responsibility of fronting property owners. You may, however, call 543-3881 to request the placement of an asphalt patch. Concrete repairs will later be made at the expense of the fronting property owner.

How do I get the bulb in a burned-out street light replaced?  The City of Santa Rosa has over 15,000 street lights and 221 traffic signals/devices.  Each year, it costs $1.5 million to provide energy to these lights/devices.  Call 543-3880 to report one of these lights when a bulb replacement is needed.  

As part of a city-wide program to reduce expenditures, a number of mid-block street lights on selected collector and arterial streets have been turned off.  At current energy rates, the City anticipates that this program will reduce its energy bill by $150,000 annually. 

Street lights that have been turned off have a yellow sticker located near the pole number, 5-6 feet from ground level on the street side.  The sticker includes a telephone number (543-4394) for additional information in both English and Spanish.  Street lights at intersections and/or in neighborhoods or near schools were not included in this energy reduction program. 

To further conserve energy, the City replaced incandescent bulbs with light-emitting-diodes (LEDs) at all 190 signalized intersections.  LEDs are both brighter and use significantly less electricity.  In addition, the City is also experimenting with solar-powered street lights.

Will you remove a dead raccoon from my back yard?   No. Our staff does not enter private property for dead animal removal, nor can they attend to injured animals. If you wish to report a dead animal on a public City street, you may call 543-3881.

Why hasn't the pothole on my street been repaired?  Unfortunately, we do not have the staffing to keep a continual watch on all City streets. If there is a problem, we appreciate your bringing it to our attention. Please call our pothole hotline - 543-3871.

I think there is antifreeze leaking into the storm drain.  All City storm drain pipes feed our creeks and channels - only storm water should enter catch basins. If you see oil, caustic items, or any other liquids going into a storm drain, please report it by calling 543-3880.

When does the street sweeper come to my street?  City street sweeping is scheduled by mapped zones showing what days are scheduled for your area.

When was the storm drain system built? Why?  The storm drain system was constructed to protect public health and safety by preventing flooding of homes, businesses and streets. The storm drain system is typically built with the street system, so that the new streets will drain during storms. The storm drain system includes gutters, catch basins, manholes, underground pipes, roadside ditches and creeks. In older areas of Santa Rosa, many of the streets were constructed without underground drainage systems. In these areas all of the runoff is carried in street gutters. The older street systems in Santa Rosa were constructed in the early 1900's.

How often are City streets cleaned?  Residential streets are swept once a month. Commercial streets are swept more frequently due to increased amounts of debris. During storms, much of the debris deposited on the streets between sweepings is washed into the storm drain system and directly into local creeks. Everyone’s help is needed to keep debris off the streets and out of our creeks.