Spring and Fall Yard Cleanup in Janesville, WI

What a cleanup covers

A fall cleanup is leaves raked or blown out of the lawn and beds, the last mow at a slightly lower height, perennials cut back if you want them cut, and the debris either placed for city pickup or hauled away. A spring cleanup is the reverse: winter debris, sticks and matted leaves off the lawn, beds cleared, edges recut along the walks, and the first mow once the grass is growing, typically after the average last freeze around April 26 (State Climatology Office).

How it fits Janesville's leaf pickup

Janesville's loose leaf collection runs November 9 to 20, 2026, by neighborhood map. Leaves may not go into the street gutter before October 1 or after the crew has passed your street, and the city asks residents to keep leaves on the terrace until 1 to 2 days before their date, then move them to the gutter without blocking storm inlets (City of Janesville, fall loose leaf collection). Crews pass each street once.

That window is the reason many homeowners book a cleanup: leaves that drop after the crew has come by, or leaves that need to be raked to the curb on a specific two-day schedule, still have to go somewhere. The full schedule and rules are in the Janesville yard waste and leaf pickup guide.

Bags, bundles and the compost site

Bagged yard waste and brush go out with the garbage only May 4 to 8, 2026 and November 30 to December 4, 2026, in paper bags or containers up to 35 gallons, each under 50 pounds; the city has not taken plastic bags since fall 2023 (City of Janesville, bagged yard waste). Outside those weeks, Janesville residents can take grass, leaves and garden debris to the Compost Site on Black Bridge Road for free, and brush for $6 a cubic yard ($8 for non-residents). The site closes from early December to the end of March (City of Janesville, compost site). Burning grass or leaves inside city limits is prohibited.

What it costs

LawnStarter's Janesville sample quotes run from $189.87 for a 4,412 square foot job to $632.90 for brush removal and haul-away on a 17,281 square foot lot and $806.31 for a full cleanup of a 7,456 square foot yard (LawnStarter, Janesville sample quotes). The spread says more about what is included than about size: hauling, bed work and leaf volume move the price more than square footage. Every range is on the lawn care cost page.

Leaves and the lawn

A light layer of leaves can be mulched into the lawn with the mower and left to feed it, the same way UW-Madison Extension recommends leaving clippings (UW-Madison Extension). A heavy layer left over winter smothers the grass and leaves dead patches in April, which then need overseeding. The last mows of the season and the late fall feeding are what set a lawn up for spring.