Public Works
Overview
The York Township Public Works Department provides continuous service to residents throughout the year. Services include but are not limited to: street maintenance such as patching roads and/or repairing streetlights and signs, curbside leaf collection daily in the Fall, and snow removal during the winter season on Township roads. Routine maintenance is also performed on the sanitary & storm sewer system throughout the year, which is critical to keeping the Township's infrastructure in good condition and safe for the public.
Winter Maintenance Procedures
Snow Plowing & Brining
We divided all Township roads into routes. An operator with pre-determined equipment is assigned to one of these routes. The majority of the time this is standard deployment, however, depending on the conditions we may only deploy 6 operators to treat the snow emergency roads or what is designated as the priority routes. Snow emergency roads are posted with signs and are designated as such due to factors of high traffic volume, steep grades, and areas with limited access or close proximity to the schools, police, fire, and medical facilities.
Prior to the storm you may notice the pretreating of certain priority roads with liquid salt brine. The salt brine is a specific concentration (23.3 %) of sodium chloride that lowers the freezing point of water. Although we would like to pre-treat all of our roads, it’s just not possible due to time and equipment availability. When appropriate we plan to pretreat all of the snow emergency routes with liquid salt brine.
Snow Emergencies
On rare occasions a snow emergency will be declared. The initial focus will be on the priority (snow emergency posted) roads. The snow emergency declaration will be broadcasted on the local radio and television stations and will be posted on the York Township website. Again, all snow emergency streets are identified with signage. After the snow emergency is declared, it shall be unlawful at any time during the continuance of the emergency for any person:
- To park a motor vehicle or to allow that vehicle to remain parked anywhere on any snow emergency routes designated; or
- To operate a motor vehicle on any such snow emergency route in such a manner or in such a reasonable condition as to allow or permit such vehicle to become stalled on such route, either by reason of the fact that the driving wheels of such vehicle are not equipped with tire chains or effective tires or by reason of the fact that the motor fuel supply of such vehicle has been allowed to become exhausted.
Failure to abide by the above is a violation of a Township ordinance and may result in fines and / or towing costs. For a complete listing of the streets and a full text of the ordinance please visit the Ordinances page.
State Roads
Many roads within York Township are owned and maintained by PennDOT. Click here to view a list of all state roads within York Township. PennDOT has their own policies and procedures for winter maintenance. Please contact the local PennDOT maintenance office at (717) 848-6230 for assistance. York Township does not perform winter maintenance on any state roads.
Mailboxes and Driveways
York Township WILL NOT compensate property owners should their mailbox, or any other object become damaged due to the removal of snow from Township roads. Any object placed in the road right-of-way, including a mailbox, fence, landscaping, etc. is at the owner’s risk. The public right-of-way is on average 50 feet wide (25 feet from the center of the roadway).
It is suggested that you wait until all plowing is complete before shoveling out the end of your driveway. If you do shovel out before the plows have come through, try to clear a spot upstream of your driveway. This will allow the snow from the plow to unload before the driveway. It won’t prevent all snow from going back in front of your driveway, but it will reduce the amount. The snow must be plowed from the street, therefore all driveways and properties will be affected to some degree.
Street Cleaning
Street cleaning usually begins after winter maintenance completely ends. It is a continuous process that does not stop until all streets have been cleaned. York Township DOES NOT maintain state roads.
Residential Brush Drop Off
The brush site is open from Fridays at 3:30pm until Mondays at 7:00am. WEEKENDS ONLY!
Brush is defined as tree limbs and shrubbery no larger than 6” in diameter and 6 feet in length. We ask that you participate in this program responsibly by dumping lawful items that can safely be processed by our machine. Items such as garbage, metals, concrete, lumber, stumps, stones, grass clippings etc. will cause damage to the machine. All other material and items you see beyond the gate are for Township use only and is not meant for the general public to use or take. If you see a violation, please report it to the Township or York County Regional Police Department. Please keep in mind, the site is under constant video surveillance.
York Township accepts brush from York Township residents ONLY as part of our recycling efforts.
Commercial Brush Drop Off
Commercial contractor brush drop off is not permitted.
Please be prepared to confirm Township residency! Brush recycling is intended to clean up small amounts of debris from residential properties. The program is not intended to accept large tree removal projects. Large projects such as removing entire trees should employ the services of a commercial contractor.
If you have large amounts of material to dispose of, please contact a tree service or the York County Solid Waste Authority at (717) 845-1066. The drop off site is located at the Township Campus beyond the gate between the two signs. Please enter from Oak Road. DO NOT enter from Coventry Road as this is a restricted area for Township employees only.
Mulch
York Township offers mulch at no cost to York Township residents ONLY. It is located before you enter the brush drop-off site. This mulch is produced by the Township from the brush drop-off and is untreated. The use of mechanical devices to load mulch is strictly prohibited.
Leaf Collection
Residents who wish to participate should place their leaves in piles next to the curb or at the edge of the street. Please DO NOT mix tree limbs, grass, shrubs, hedge trimmings, concrete block, brick or any other foreign material in the leaf pile. Leaves will not be collected if foreign objects are mixed in the pile. Please see below for a list of daily street updates as to where we have been and on what date. We cannot give an exact day of pick-up due to weather, equipment breakdown and employee availability. Our crews typically cover every Township street at least four or five times a season. Depending on the volume, it may take as long as two to three weeks between street visits. Please be patient!
Waste Oil Collection
Waste oil is accepted at the Public Works Service Building (lower campus level) Monday through Friday from 7:00am -3:30pm. Please do not drop off oil after hours. Accepted waste oil includes motor, cooking & transmission oils. We do not accept gasoline or engine coolant (anti-freeze). If you drop off waste oil and need your containers back, please contact the office to arrange an appropriate time for drop off.
Obstructions Overhanging Roadways
Please be aware that as property owners in York Township, you are responsible to keep your property clear from any obstructions that overhang the edge of the road. Examples include, but are not limited to, tree limbs, shrubbery, hedges, grassy areas, mailboxes, fencing, etc.
Many activities occur close to the curb with large vehicles that can be impacted when these obstructions exist. Examples include snow and ice removal, street sweeping, street paving, trash collection, school bus travel, etc.
Overgrown tree limbs and vegetation also impact the sight distance for the motoring public which can be a safety concern. Refer to Ordinance #2014-5 found on the website for the specific requirements.
Sanitary Sewer
Inspections of the sanitary sewer main in your neighborhood will be done. If the Department of Public Works TV Inspection Crews discover that your sewer lateral (which feeds into the township main sewer lines) is compromised with tree roots, over time these roots will continue to grow and eventually clog your sewer lateral.
Section 406, Subsection 8 of the Code of Ordinances of York Township states:
“THE OWNER OF ANY SEWER LINES WHICH ARE DISCHARGING SEWAGE INTO THE PUBLIC SEWER SYSTEM SHALL KEEP SUCH LINES FREE OF ROOTS, GRIT, SOIL, STONES, BUILDING MATERIALS, BUILT-UP SOLIDS AND ALL OTHER OBJECTS, NOT LIMITED BY THE FOREGOING, WHICH ARE NOT INTENDED FOR DISPOSAL IN A SEWER LINE OR WHICH ARE LIKELY TO IMPEDE THE FLOW OF SEWAGE IN SEWER LINE. SUCH LINES SHALL BE MAINTAINED BY THE OWNER FREE OF DEFLECTION, CRACKS OR OTHER OPENINGS WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO
INFILTRATION OR FLOW.”
If you are found to be non-compliant with the ordinance, it is recommended that you contact a private contractor within 45 days of receipt of your letter to have the roots removed. Upon contacting someone, please have them call the York Township Public Works Department at least one day prior to performing any work.
A representative from the Sewer Department will meet the private contractor at your residence so they can open the downstream manhole to catch the roots prior to it clogging the public system. In many cases, the Sewer Department may use a lateral camera to ensure all roots have been removed at the homeowner’s request. This camera service is free of charge to residents connected to the public sewer system.
Permits & Ordinances
Click on the link for the York Township Department of Public Works Application / Permit to Excavate within the Public Right Of Way.
Construction and Material Specs
Contact Public Works
194 Oak Rd Dallastown, PA 17313
Phone: (717) 741-3861 x170
Email: Online Form
Hours: 7:00am - 3:30pm
Monday - Friday
To report an after-hour emergency with a sanitary sewer, storm sewer or roadway after hours, or on weekends and holidays, dial (717) 840-2971.