Leaf Collection in Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria: How It Works

Fairfax County, Arlington County and the City of Alexandria each run their own fall leaf collection, and the rules aren't the same. All three pick up loose leaves or paper-bagged leaves only — never plastic bags — but who's eligible, how many passes you get, and the collection window differ by jurisdiction. None of the three had published 2026 dates as of late September 2026, so check your own jurisdiction's schedule page once the season gets close.

How does leaf collection work in Fairfax County?

Fairfax County's vacuum leaf collection only reaches homes inside a designated leaf district. These districts are created through a petition process, and the service comes with its own charge, calculated at $0.019 per $100 of assessed property value, on top of regular trash service (Fairfax County leaf collection, as of September 2026). If you're not in a leaf district — and most Fairfax households aren't — you follow the county's curbside yard waste guidelines instead, or your private hauler's rules.

Inside a leaf district, the season runs November through January with three rounds of pickup per area. Set leaves at the curb no later than the day before your scheduled date, in piles no more than 4 feet from the edge of the street, clear of storm drains, sidewalks and mailboxes, and free of sticks, rocks and trash. Leaves raked out after the third pass aren't collected; bag anything left over instead. The county posts each area's dates on its leaf collection dates page, searchable by street name, and neighborhoods in the program get bright yellow signs with a QR code once the schedule is set.

How does leaf collection work in Arlington County?

Arlington's fall vacuum leaf program runs from November into December, with two passes made by civic association — not a set date for the whole county. Signs go up three to seven days before each pass: yellow for the first pass, orange for the second. The date on the sign marks the start of the window, not necessarily the day a truck arrives, so leave leaves at the curb until they're collected (Arlington County leaf collection, as of September 2026).

Rake leaves to the curb the weekend before your civic association's window starts, away from storm drains, water meter covers and parked cars, and never in plastic bags or trash carts. If you miss a pass, Arlington also collects paper leaf bags year-round on your regular weekly collection day, and leaves can go in the green yard waste cart too. The program covers county curbside customers — single-family homes, duplexes and some townhouses — not the apartments and condos served by private haulers.

How does leaf collection work in the City of Alexandria?

Alexandria runs leaf vacuum trucks and collects paper leaf bags from late October through January, for residents who receive city trash and recycling service. The city is split into five collection zones (Old Town has four subzones within its own zone), each with its own start date and three passes total. Crews post signs with the second and third pass dates once the first pass is underway, and it isn't unusual for the truck to arrive a bit after the first posted date (City of Alexandria leaf collection, as of September 2026).

The city mails and posts a full schedule every October, along with a zone look-up tool. Free paper leaf bags are available at the Solid Waste Leaf Bag Shed and several recreation centers, limited to 15 bags per household per visit. Bags go at your regular collection point, on your regular trash day — and never in an alley, since the city doesn't collect leaves from alleys at all.

Leaf collection side by side

All as of September 2026, from each jurisdiction's official page.

What if you use a private trash hauler?

Then none of the county or city vacuum programs apply to you, and that covers most people: about 90% of Fairfax County residents and businesses use a private collection company rather than county service, and Arlington's and Alexandria's apartments and condos are typically on private haulers too. Contact your hauler directly to find out how it handles leaves and yard waste — the rules and any extra cost are set by the company, not the county or city.

What can you do with leaves outside a collection program?

A few options that don't depend on a county truck showing up:

• Mulch-mow them. A mower with a mulching blade shreds leaves into the lawn, where they break down and feed the grass. Book lawn care if you'd rather not do the mowing yourself.
• Compost them. Rake into a wooded corner of the yard or a compost pile instead of the curb.
• Bag them for regular yard waste, in paper bags, if your jurisdiction's curbside program takes bagged yard waste year-round (Arlington does; check Fairfax's and Alexandria's own rules for their county-collection customers).
• Hire it out. If the leaves have piled up faster than you can keep up with, book yard cleanup with an independent local Pro to rake, bag and haul it away.

Do towns inside a county have their own rules?

Some do. Towns and small cities inside Fairfax County — including Vienna, Herndon and the City of Fairfax — can run their own leaf programs separate from the county's. If you live in one of these, check with your town rather than assuming the county's leaf-district rules apply to you.

Get ahead of leaf season

Figure out which of the three patterns above applies to you — a leaf district, a civic-association pass, a city zone, or a private hauler — and check that jurisdiction's own schedule page once it's posted. If raking and bagging isn't how you want to spend a fall weekend, book yard cleanup with an independent local Pro before the leaves get ahead of you.

Last updated September 2026.