Grass clipping ordinance passed

Yard maintenance habits across Holly Springs face new legal boundaries following municipal action aimed at protecting city infrastructure.

Mayor Charles Terry addressed a new ordinance passed at the Tuesday, Aug. 18 Board of Aldermen meeting that targets property owners who blow leaves and grass clippings directly into public streets, declaring the practice an official municipal violation. The measure seeks to curb a routine landscaping habit that local officials say causes substantial damage beneath the city’s surface.

Terry emphasized that yard waste swept or blown into the roadway quickly washes into municipal storm drains. Over time, the accumulated debris creates severe blockages within the drainage system, forcing rainwater back onto city streets and contributing to localized flooding during heavy downpours.

Under the newly established rules, discharging yard waste into public rights-of-way will carry penalties. The administration plans to focus initial efforts on community education, ensuring residents and local lawn care companies understand the environmental and structural impacts on the drainage network.

The ordinance requires residents to bag clippings, compost them, or blow them back onto their own lawns rather than into the street. City leaders note that keeping the drainage infrastructure clear remains vital to reducing long-term public maintenance expenditures and protecting neighborhood roads from water damage.