Guide · 7 min read
DC street sweeping: schedule, hours & the $45 ticket
Updated September 2026 · Sources: DPW, DDOT.
The 30-second version
- Sweeping season runs March through October (some routes into November). Winter is off.
- Each block has a posted window — usually 9:30 AM–12:30 PM, one weekday, one side of the street.
- The ticket is $45–$50, and it doubles after 30 days unpaid.
- The sign on your block is the only schedule that matters. There is no single citywide day.
Why sweeping tickets are so common
Street sweeping is the sneakiest restriction in DC because it only exists for a few hours a week. A block can be perfectly legal to park on for 165 hours out of 168 — and a $45 trap for the other three. If you park on the same street every day, you stop seeing the sign.
That is exactly how people get caught: not visitors, but residents who have parked on their own block a hundred times without a problem. The restriction doesn't care how often you got away with it — the sweeper runs on schedule, and enforcement runs with it.
How to read the sweeping sign
The sign is a red-and-white No Parking plate with a broom symbol, and it carries three pieces of information:
- 1. The day. One weekday — Tuesday, Wednesday, whatever your block drew.
- 2. The hours. Most residential blocks are 9:30 AM–12:30 PM. Commercial corridors can run earlier.
- 3. The side. Each side of the street usually has its own day, so the opposite curb is often legal while yours is being swept.
Outside the posted window, the restriction does not exist. You can park there the other six days without a thought.
The overnight trap
The most expensive sweeping mistake is parking the night before. You leave the car at 9 PM on a legal block, sleep in, and the window opens at 9:30 AM. By the time you're up, the ticket is already on the windshield. If you park overnight on a residential street, the sweeping sign is the first thing to check — not the meter. Our overnight parking guide covers the full morning checklist.
What a missed window actually costs
One ticket is $45–$50. But sweeping runs every week for eight months, and habit is powerful. Miss one window a month and you're at roughly $400 a year. Miss two and you're paying more in sweeping tickets than most people pay for a year of metered parking. And every ticket left unpaid past 30 days doubles.
Sweeping enforcement is not evenly spread. Our DC parking ticket heatmap maps 1.6 million+ citations block by block, so you can see whether your street is one enforcement actually walks.
Free tool
Which RPP zone am I in?
Look up DC Residential Permit Parking Zones 1–8 by neighborhood, with boundaries and the ticket traps on each zone's blocks.
Free map
Where does DC write the most tickets?
Explore 1.6 million+ DC parking citations mapped to the street segment — see the hottest blocks before you park.
Practical takeaways
- Sweeping season is March–October; winter is off.
- Your block's sign sets the day and hours — usually 9:30 AM–12:30 PM.
- Each side of the street usually sweeps on a different day.
- The ticket is $45–$50 and doubles after 30 days unpaid.
- Parking the night before a morning window is the classic mistake.
- Outside the posted window, the restriction doesn't exist.
FAQ
When is street sweeping season in Washington DC?
DC's mechanical street sweeping program runs from March 1 through the end of October, with some routes posted through November. During winter months sweeping is suspended and the posted restrictions are not enforced. The exact dates are posted on the sign on your block — the sign, not the calendar, is what controls.
What hours is street sweeping enforced in DC?
Each block has its own posted window, most commonly 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM on one weekday, one side of the street. Some commercial corridors run earlier windows. The restriction applies only during the posted hours on the posted day — outside that window you can park there normally.
How much is a street sweeping ticket in DC?
A street sweeping violation in Washington DC costs $45 to $50. If the ticket goes unpaid past 30 days, the fine doubles. Sweeping tickets are among the most-issued parking citations in the city because the restriction is easy to forget — it only exists for a few hours a week.
Can you park on the street during street sweeping in DC?
Not on the side being swept. During the posted window, the sweeper needs the curb lane clear, and cars left there are ticketed. The other side of the street usually has its sweeping window on a different day, so moving across the street often works — check that side's sign too.
Is street sweeping enforced on holidays in DC?
Street sweeping is generally suspended on DC government holidays, when parking enforcement pauses most restrictions. Rush-hour lanes and safety restrictions can still apply. When in doubt, the posted sign plus the holiday list decides.
What happens if you don't move your car for street sweeping?
You get a $45–$50 ticket on the windshield. DC does not typically tow for sweeping alone — the sweeper simply goes around your car, which is why the ticket exists. Repeat the mistake every week and the fines add up fast: one missed window a month is over $500 a year.