Think Twice Before Blowing Those Leaves Into The Street

(East Texas) Beautiful fall colors will soon be on full display in East Texas. Deep reds, oranges, and bright yellows will mix in with shades of green as our trees begin changing color and losing their leaves, thanks to shorter days and cooler weather. But you'll need to look quickly because it happens in a flash. Unlike the Northeast, Rocky Mountains, Pacific Northwest, and other areas of the country where they get weeks to view their changing leaves, ours seems to happen in a matter of days!

Fall Colors Arrive Quickly in East Texas

Although it's short-lived, we still receive some magical and stunning views here in the Piney Woods among our many evergreens. Eventually, those leaves will turn dark brown and fall off onto the ground and get blown around, and pile up against your house or your fence. To make our yards and house look better, we'll either mulch those leaves or bag them up to be taken away by the trash service.

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The Texas Law You Might Be Breaking This Fall

There is one thing you may do that could get you a fine or even jail time, and that's blowing your leaves into the street. It's actually against Texas law to blow leaves and grass clippings into the street. While it's not often enforced, if you do receive a citation, it could cost you up to $500 or even jail time.

What the Law Actually Says

The Texas Health and Safety Code states,

A person commits an offense if the person disposes of or allows or permits the disposal of litter or other solid waste at a place that is not an approved solid waste site, including a place on or within 300 feet of a public highway, on a right-of-way, on other public or private property, or into inland or coastal water of the state.

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Safe and Legal Ways to Handle Your Leaves

In this case, your decayable leaves and grass clippings are considered litter, and they cannot be blown into a ditch, body of water, roadway, or recreational area. So when the great leaf drop happens at your place, it's just better to rake them up into a pile and let the kids and dogs play in them for a while, and then either bag them up or burn them, if your county is not currently under a burn ban.