What we do

The Public Works Department provides essential core services that include construction and maintenance of City streets, sidewalks, and stormwater infrastructure, as well as solid waste management, to Asheville citizens and visitors in a prompt, professional, efficient, and safe manner. The dedicated employees of the Public Works Department strive to provide these services equitably to all neighborhoods in a manner that reflects our emphasis on quality customer service, environmental stewardship, fiscal responsibility, and transparency. The department is led and directed by the Administration division and internally supported by the Fleet Management and Asset Management (GIS) divisions.


Report an Issue

Report an issue through the Asheville App  The Asheville App  or call 828-251-1122.

Division-Specific Issues

Sanitation issues include missed collection for trash or brush, roll cart issues, illegal dumping or littering, and overgrown lots.

Stormwater issues include drainage issues and flooding.

Streets issues include potholes, graffiti, sidewalk hazards, trees in the right-of-way, and snow removal.


City of Asheville Standard Specifications and Details Manual (SSDM)


Sanitation Division

Visit the Sanitation Division page for more information.


Stormwater Division

 

  • Installs and maintains storm drain infrastructure
  • Maintains ditches and trenches to help control the flow of rainwater down public streets
  • Sweeps streets
  • Works with the Development Services Department to issue permits for grading, erosion control, and flood control, as well as stormwater ordinance enforcement

Visit the Stormwater Division page for more information.


Streets Division

  • Installation, maintenance, repair, and revitalization of:
    • Streets
    • Bridges
    • Sidewalks
    • Walls
    • Guardrails
  • Street & sidewalk closures
  • Tree trimming
  • Mowing in the right-of-way
  • Street sweeping in the Central Business District after normal working hours
  • Graffiti removal
  • Snow removal
  • Encroachment Agreements
  • Utility cut permits
  • SnowMapper
  • MapAsheville

Visit the Streets Division page for more information.


FEMA Public Notice

View complete notice as a PDF.

The City of Asheville has applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance (PA) Program funding through North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM) as a sub- recipient for the reestablishment of the Bell Road and Faircrest Road embankments by reclaiming stone and unclassified fill. Bell Road and Faircrest Road are part of linear systems throughout the City of Asheville which provide Right-of-Way access to vehicles without disturbing the floodplain. All repairs were performed to restore these facilities to their pre-disaster design,function, and capacity within their existing footprints. As such, these repairs did not increase flood levels within the community nor did the repairs increase the risk of flood loss.

Funding for the proposed project will be conditional upon compliance with all applicable federal, tribal, state, and local laws, regulations, floodplain standards, permit requirements and conditions.

Comments are solicited from the public; local, state or federal agencies, and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of the proposed project. The comments should be made in writing and addressed to:

FEMA Internal 11988 Reviewer
FEMA Region 4
3005 Chamblee-Tucker Road
Atlanta, Georgia, 30341

Alternatively, comments may be emailed to: FEMA-R4EHP@fema.dhs.gov. Please send comments with the subject line [DR-4617-NC-00117 11988 COMMENT]. All comments are due by no later than July 15, 2022.

Posted on July 8, 2022


Related Services

Report a pothole in a city street

Potholes – We’re Working on It! Maintaining the over 400 miles of road within the City of Asheville is a top priority. Currently, there are a number of pending requests for street maintenance, and the City wants to share the process for fulfilling these requests. Prioritizing Safety First When it comes to paving requests, safety is our utmost concern. [...]

Related Projects

Livingston Street Traffic Calming

After hearing community input and gathering speed data, traffic calming is proposed for Livingston Street. This project would add speed cushions about every 300ft between Depot Street and Victoria Road. The speed cushions proposed are the same size as speed humps but would include a space between each cushion for emergency vehicles, pictured below.

aerial map view of the project area

Patton Avenue Sidewalk Accessibility Improvements

Project Overview The City of Asheville Public Works Streets Division is constructing sidewalk replacements along a section of Patton Avenue between Asheland Avenue and Coxe Avenue. This project will make important improvements to pedestrian safety and accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. The project started in Spring 2024 and is expected to finish [...]

Stormwater Utility Program Assessment and Fee Study

Asheville’s Stormwater program has been funded by a stormwater fee for more than 17 years in order to meet the requirements of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Stormwater Permit and Stormwater Management Plan. In order to better serve our community, the City is proactively  assessing our program and identifying areas where improvement is necessitated.

Public Works News

Dr. Tareq Al-Zabet

City of Asheville announces Dr. Tareq Al-Zabet as the next Public Works Director

Asheville City Manager, Debra Campbell, is pleased to announce Dr. Tareq Al-Zabet as the City of Asheville’s next Public Works Director. Tareq will officially begin his duties with the City of Asheville on September 16. Tareq is an accomplished executive with extensive leadership experience overseeing comprehensive infrastructure services.  He holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences and [...]

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