We encourage a safe disposal of drugs and offer many ways for Wauwatosa residents to participate:

1) A permanent drop box is available at the Wauwatosa Police Department for all expired and unused prescription and over the counter medications. No needles/sharps, household chemicals, hygiene items, biohazard material are accepted. You must be a Wauwatosa resident and valid identification is required.

Collection Hours:

• Monday - Friday: 7 am - 11 pm
• Saturday and Sunday: 3 pm - 11 pm

2) We host medication collection events at City Hall, typically in April and September. For details on any upcoming medication collection events, call (414) 479-8936, or check our events calendar.

Our Tosa parade is one of the biggest parades in the state, and our goal is to ensure safety and fun for all attendees. You can start to place your chairs at 6 am on the day of the parade. We ask that the responsible person claiming your spot is at least 12 years old. If there are items placed out prior to 6 am, we may collect these items.

The rats that live in Wauwatosa are Norway rats.  They do not carry Hantavirus and don’t typically spread diseases to humans.  However, while rat bites are extremely rare, you should consult your doctor if you are bitten by a rat.  If you find a dead rat in your yard, use gloves or a plastic bag to pick it up and throw it away.  Some rats carry parasites similar to fleas.  While these can be a nuisance, they are not harmful to humans. 

It is the occupant's responsibility to use garbage receptacles properly, to keep receptacles covered at all times, and to notify the property owner if the receptacle becomes cracked, broken, or loses its cover.  It is the occupant’s responsibility to limit food sources otherwise meant for recreational animal watching (bird and squirrel feeding).

The City of Wauwatosa responds to complaints about rats and can provide information about rodent control and enforcement according to the Wauwatosa ordinance. We do not offer baiting or elimination services but can refer you to pest control companies. To request more information or enforcement, please contact us by calling 414-479-8936.

You can report illegal dumping of garbage and solid waste on private property to the Wauwatosa Department of Property Maintenance at (414) 479-8981.

To control rats, you must remove everything they need to survive:

 Food.  Eliminate all food sources. 

• Bag garbage and put in tightly covered containers. 
• Store pet food and bird seed in a metal container and off the ground. 
• Monitor compost piles.

Water.  Remove any sources of standing water.

Shelter.  Prevent opportunities for rats to burrow.

• Keep plants and bushes trimmed and neat. 
• Cover exposed dirt with gravel.
• Seal cracks or holes in your home and garage. 
• Don't allow debris to accumulate on your property.

The best way to get rid of rats on your property is with trapping and/or baiting the rats.  If you notice any evidence of rodent activity on your property, contact a professional exterminator to properly eradicate the issue.  Exterminators can be found online or in your local phone book.

Keep an eye out for burrows, droppings, holes, and/or runways. 

Burrows are oval shaped holes in dirt or concrete from one to four inches wide, with smooth edges.  They can be found under bushes and plants and along foundations or walls. 

Droppings are often found close to garbage.If they are moist and dark it is a sign that rats are active in the area.  

Holes and gnaw marks might be seen on plastic garbage cans or the bottom of garage doors. 

Runways are created by rats running back and forth along the same path.  Rats can leave dark, greasy track marks on grass or concrete.

We are committed to providing fair and balanced parking solutions throughout the City. Various parking solutions have been implemented across the City:

• Overnight parking permission
• Parking citations
• City parking lots
• Curb painting program
• Stop sign requests

Learn more about parking in Wauwatosa.

The federal government banned the use of leaded pipe and solder in new plumbing systems in 1986. If your property was built before 1986, your water service lateral and plumbing system may contain lead. You may call the Wauwatosa Water Utility at (414) 471-8480 to find out more information about your service line pipe material. 

 Please contact the City of Wauwatosa Health Department Referral Nurse Line at (414) 479-8939.

As a standard practice with our water main replacement projects the Wauwatosa Water Utility replaces old lead water service laterals with new HDPE plastic materials from the water main to the curb stop.

If you’re concerned about lead in your drinking water, you can take several steps to limit possible exposure.

• Flush your tap water. Flushing the tap is particularly important when the faucet has been unused for an extended period of time. It takes time for lead to leach into water, so the first water drawn from the tap in the morning or after a long period of non-use may contain higher levels of lead. Flushing clears standing water from your plumbing and home service line to ensure you are getting drinking water from the water main, where lead is rarely present. Let the cold water run from the tap until it is noticeably colder (this may take up to two minutes or more) before using it for cooking or drinking.

Remember, you must flush EACH drinking water faucet after long periods of non-use for this strategy to be effective.

CONSERVATION TIP: Use flushed water for non-potable purposes such as watering plants or washing dishes.

• Use only cold water for cooking or drinking. Lead leaches more easily into hot water than cold water.
• Boiling water DOES NOT remove lead.
• Remove faucet strainers and rinse them to remove any debris. This can be done periodically to remove accumulated debris as well.

Water filters used for reducing lead in drinking water must be certified for lead reduction in accordance with NSF/ANSI Standard 53 – Drinking Water Treatment Unit Standard for Health Effects.

Types of water filters.

• Pour-through pitcher/carafe: Water drips through a filter into a water pitcher using gravity.
• Faucet mount: Mounts on kitchen faucet. Uses diverter to direct water through a filter.
•  Direct plumbing to a separate tap or to a kitchen sink: Installs under a sink; filtered water is usually dispensed through a separate faucet directly to the kitchen sink.
• Refrigerator filter: Installed in your refrigerator and typically dispensed through the refrigerator door.

You can’t see, smell or taste lead in your water. Testing at the tap is the only way to measure the lead levels in your home or workplace. If you choose to have your tap water tested be sure to use a private laboratory properly certified by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Below are three examples of certified labs.

Suburban Laboratories
10520 N Baehr Rd. Suite J
Mequon, WI 53092
Phone: (920) 459-2500

Northern Lakes Services, Inc.
2420 N Grandview Blvd.
Waukesha, WI 53188
Phone: (262) 547-3406

State Lab of Hygiene
2601 Agriculture Drive
Madison, WI 53707
Phone: (800) 442-4618

Contact the following resources for more information about lead and water:

EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline: 1-800-426-4791

National Lead Information Center: 1-800-424-5323

American Water Works Association:

• www.awwa.org
• https://drinktap.org/Water-Info/Whats-in-My-Water/Lead-In-Water

Per City Ordinance Chapter 11.32.290, you cannot park on a city street between 3:00 am and 6:00 am. This includes holidays and weekends.

You can obtain Overnight Parking Permission by calling (414) 471-8430 prior to 3:00 am. 

Overnight Parking Permission is limited to:

• guests
• stalled vehicles
• vehicles affected by a construction project which makes off street parking impossible 
• fifteen (15) nights per vehicle, per year

Traffic and Non-Traffic Tickets (citations) may be paid online, by mail, or in person: Traffic / Non-Traffic Citations

Parking Tickets (citations) may be paid online, by phone, by mail, or in person: Parking

Wauwatosa Police Department records requests may be made by:

• Phone: (414) 471-8430
• Email: trecords@wauwatosa.net
• Fax: (414) 471-8447

Please note that it may take up to ten (10) business days to receive a response to an open records request.

It is best to report all crashes to the police, even minor ones. If the damage is over $1,000, or if anyone is injured, a state report must be filed. Even in the case of minor crashes, calling the police allows documentation of driver information for insurance purposes.

 If you wait a significant amount of time before reporting your crash to the police, you may be directed to file a self-report through the Wisconsin Department of Transportation website: WI DOT Crash Reporting

In 1997, the State of Wisconsin enacted the Sex Offender Registration and Community Notifiction Law. This law was created to monitor and track people convicted of sex crimes and to provide access to this information for police, victims and the general public.

You may call the Wauwatosa Police Department's non-emergency phone number, (414) 471-8430, to notify us of a pet you have lost or found. We keep a logbook of missing pets.

In Case of Emergency dial 911. The non-emergency phone is (414) 471-8430.

The Front Desk serving the general public is open Monday - Friday, excluding holidays, from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm..

The Records Division is open Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 3:00 pm.

We can accept a range of items: clean fill, such as bricks, dirt, and sod; garbage including furniture and carpeting; recyclable items like appliances and tires; and yard waste.

See the Drop Off Center webpage for a full list of what we accept and what kind of permit you might need.

New tax rates are typically available in early December.

We begin calculating tax rates when three major items are finalized:

• final overall assessment values, typically complete in mid-November.
• certified tax levies from each taxing jurisdiction, typically complete in late November.
• tax credit information from the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, complete by November 20.

1. By Mail
2. Online
3. 24 Hour Secure Payment Deposit
4. In Person at City Hall

Learn more about tax collection and payment options on our tax collection webpage.  

Yes, visit our Property Tax Web Portal for this information.

There are three credits available:

• school tax levy credit
• first dollar credit
• lottery credit

School Tax Levy Credit 

This credit direct relief to taxpayers by reducing the amount owed on their property tax bills. The school levies credit is allocated to municipalities based on their share of statewide school levies during the previous three years. Municipalities allocate the credit to individual taxpayers in proportion to the taxpayer's share of the municipality's total assessed value.

First Dollar Credit 

This credit is paid to the owner of any real estate parcel on which at least one improvement owned by the land owner is located. The credit equals the school property tax on a certain amount of the value of the improvements. The credit value is calculated every year by the Department of Revenue. If the value of the parcel exceeds the credit value, a full credit is paid. If the value of the parcel is less than the credit value, the credit is paid on the actual value of the parcel.

Lottery Credit 

This credit provides direct property tax relief to homeowners as a credit on their property tax bills.

You must establish ownership and residence of a property as of January 1 of the tax year. If you purchase a home after January 1, you must attest to the best of your knowledge that the property was the primary residence of the previous owner(s).

To receive the lottery credit, an eligible property owner must file an application with our Treasurer’s Office by January 31 following the issuance of the person’s property tax bill. If you miss this date and are eligible for the credit, you may file a late claim application with the Department of Revenue by October 1.

Once you receive the lottery credit on your tax bill it will be issued each year and you do not need to reapply for it. If you become ineligible for the lottery credit, you need to fill out a lottery and gaming credit removal request. Lottery Credit Form

The City of Wauwatosa collects taxes from December through July 31 each year. If a tax bill becomes delinquent prior to July 31, it is paid to the City of Wauwatosa Treasurer’s Office. After July 31, delinquent taxes should be paid to the Milwaukee County Treasurer, 901 N. 9th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53233. The phone number for the Milwaukee County Treasurer is (414) 278-4033.

• Owner address information
• Animal information
• Verification of current rabies immunization--if rabies vaccination is not current, you must have your pet vaccinated by your veterinarian and provide a current rabies certificate.
• Payment of licensing fee

Where to purchase:

• Treasurer's Office
• Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission office located at 3839 W Burnham St., West Milwaukee, WI 53215.
• You may apply for licenses online through the MADACC website (www.madacc.com)
• Mail in a Pet License Application to MADACC. The City of Wauwatosa does not issue licenses through mail.

For more information, please contact the treasurer's office at (414) 479-8960.

Yes.

Send a letter to the newspaper or advertising company with your name and address on it asking them to refrain from delivering at your house. Specific information regarding the publisher should be inside the publication itself. If delivery continues, please call the Police Department at (414) 471-8430.

Call us as soon as possible at (414) 471-8422 to let us know.  We need the following information process your claim:

• The address where the incident took place
• The date of the incident
• The amount of the damage claim
• Any other information you have relating to the incident such as truck number, any witnesses, etcetera.

False alarms result in a response by public safety personnel, involve unnecessary expense to the city, increase the risk of injury to persons or damage to property, and dilute the overall public safety protection to the city. Per City Ordinance 7.08.005, persons connected to an alarm system shall pay to the city a charge for false alarms responded to by the police department.

Note: Alarm fees not paid by November 15 will be placed on the property tax bill.

Yes, storing an item on the street between the dates of October 15 and April 15 must also have the approval of the Public Works Operations Supervisor due to potential conflicts with fall leaf collection and snow plowing/snow removal.

If you are planning on storing an item on the street between October 15 and April 15 then please contact the Engineering Services Department before you come to City Hall for a permit so that we have time to check with the Public Works Operations Supervisor on whether or not your application would be approved.

You are permitted to repair and replace various items around the house with or without a permit or a licensed contractor depending on what the project entails. To be proficient in the construction trades generally requires a minimum of four years learning the skills related to all aspects of the trade. However, we recognize that some homeowners may be skilled in certain aspects of the construction trades and may want to perform work generally required to be performed by a licensed contractor. Since there are so many aspects of construction that one may or may not be experienced with, these requests are handled on a case-by-case basis before the Board of Building and Fire Code Appeals. An application and fee is required along with details outlining what your level of skill is relative to your project.

Note: We want your project to be a success. We encourage urged to make an appointment with your district inspector(s). The inspector(s) will discuss your abilities, the applicable code(s), plan review and the inspection process. An inspector is permitted to provide you with a written recommendation that can be presented to the board on your behalf. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (414) 479-8907.

Yes, you must obey the following conditions and requirements with a street occupancy permit:

• You may only store items on the street in locations where parking is permitted.  Items must not be stored where parking is prohibited.
• Items stored on the street must be placed so as to maintain two-way traffic at all times.
• You must also place a flashing barricade at each end of the stored item, facing traffic, for any item stored on the street.  The flashing barricades are required by the City for nighttime visibility. Using orange safety cones, barrels or caution tape in lieu of flashing barricades is not acceptable.

Maybe, residential property owners may place a fence with a height no greater than four and a half feet up to the property line in the side and rear yards without a permit. Fences in front yards require a permit and are restricted to a maximum height of three feet with the length limited to 20% of the lot width and 40% of the fence area must be open.

Fences abutting alleys must be set-back 18 inches from the property line. Fences located along a side street of a corner lot require a permit and can be installed up to the property line.

Please note that the City of Wauwatosa defines the front yard as the narrowest portion of the property facing a street regardless of the address or the way the house faces. For additional information or questions please call (414) 479-8907 to see if a permit is required.

Setback guidelines vary depending on where you live in the city. If you know your property's zoning classification you can look up the setback requirements in the city zoning code, Section 24 of the Municipal Code, and navigate to the pertinent zoning district.

View the Municipal Code

Yes. While a permit is not required for a home occupation in the City of Wauwatosa, the ordinance does outline guidelines that need to be followed. For a complete description of the city's home occupation ordinance please visit the Municipal Code Section 24.02, Home Occupations.

View the Municipal Code

A comprehensive plan is a document that details the vision of a city and outlines steps to take in order to achieve that vision. More specifically, the plan is a comprehensive examination of the city that is used to create a plan that will guide future decisions regarding land-use, infrastructure, zoning, and overall city character.

In Wisconsin Smart Growth legislation has been passed that, among other things, requires municipalities to have an updated comprehensive plan in place by 2010.

There are two different food licenses: restaurant and retail food.  View information on licensing food establishments.

Syringes and sharps cannot be disposed of in regular garbage or recycling pick-up. View information on Sharps Disposal.

Pay your fine to:
Wauwatosa Municipal Court
7725 W. North Ave.
Wauwatosa, WI 53213

Municipal court will notify the Wisconsin Motor Vehicle Department when the fine is paid, but you are responsible for reinstating your driver's license.

The nearest DMV office is located at:
7301 W. Mill Rd.
Milwaukee, WI 53218
Ph: (414) 266-1000

You are entitled to one continuance if this is your first appearance and you have not had any previous date changes on this ticket. Make your request in writing; you can do this by sending a letter to:
Municipal Court Office
7725 W. North Ave.
Wauwatosa, WI 53213

You may also fax a request to (414) 479-8999, or by coming to the court office at the address above. Make sure your request includes the ticket number, your current address, and phone number.

You can, but it should be confined to manufactured portable fireplaces with the lid on to prevent sparks or embers from escaping. Burning must be done at least 25 feet away from any:

• building
• structure
• trees
• shrubbery
• dry grass
• weeds
• other combustible materials

You should keep a fire extinguisher or garden hose within reach.

You cannot burn:

• refuse
• leaves
• yard waste
• waste materials from construction projects
• other items designated by order of the Wauwatosa Fire Department

To find out if your property is zoned for an ADU, please contact the city's Planning Division at (414) 479-3522 or at tplanning@wauwatosa.net. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that all gatherings of 50 people or more be cancelled or postponed for at least eight weeks to help protect the public from the spread of COVID-19, particularly those who are most vulnerable to infection and severe disease. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the Wauwatosa Health Department support the decisions of any event organizers that elect to cancel or postpone events with less than 50 attendees in order to protect their communities.

Event-goers are encouraged to contact the corresponding organizations with questions regarding cancellations.

Individuals who may be at high risk, including elderly individuals and those with pre-existing conditions, may want to consider avoiding large public gatherings.

ADUs are a great way to generate rental income or provide a home for extended family, and contribute needed residential units to the city’s housing stock without changing the character of our neighborhoods. 

Voters can locate their polling place by:

• Visiting the MyVote website
• Going to the homepage of Wauwatosa.net and typing in your address in the myWauwatosa portal
• Calling the City Clerk's Office at (414) 479-8917

We receive absentee ballots about three weeks prior to elections with no federal contests, and seven weeks prior to elections with federal contests. 

Registered voters can:

• Make a request for an absentee ballot on the MyVote website
• Provide a completed Request for Absentee Ballot form to the City Clerk's Office, 7725 W. North Ave., to have a ballot mailed to them. NOTE: forms CANNOT be submitted in-person more than two weeks prior to an election
• Come in-person to the office, located at 7725 W. North Ave., beginning two weeks prior to an election to complete an absentee ballot (in-person absentee voting)

Gutters can be drained onto your yard or to landscape beds specifically designed for storm runoff. If an underground conductor is installed, it needs to be directly connected to the storm sewer. Exception: an approved stormwater management plan may allow you to discharge water to areas other than the city storm sewer.

No. There are differences between individual properties and between neighborhoods. In one area, property sales may indicate an increase in value in a given year. In another neighborhood, there may be very little change or a decrease in property values.

Different types of properties within the same neighborhood may also show different value changes. For example, one story houses may be more in demand that two story houses, or vice versa. Older homes in the same area may be rising in value more slowly than newer homes. There are numerous factors to be considered for each property that will cause the values to differ. Some of the factors that can affect value are location, condition, size, age, quality of construction, bedroom count, number of bathrooms, basement finish and garages.

If you have no questions about your assessment, you do not have to do anything after you receive your property assessment.

If you disagree with your assessed value, (not your tax bill), please contact the Assessor’s office. You can schedule an appointment during a period called Open Book. The appraiser assigned to your neighborhood will review your property’s description to make sure it is accurate and discuss how the value was determined.

To appeal your assessment to the Board of Review, you must be able to demonstrate in a factual and meaningful way, that there is an error in the assessor’s valuation. Only actual sales of comparable properties are accepted as evidence.

Library cards are available to all eligible residents of Milwaukee County. Library cards are available in person at any MCFLS member library and are valid for 2 years. Adults, who are 16-years-of-age and older, can bring a valid Wisconsin ID or Driver’s License with current Milwaukee County address or must show two forms of ID.

To learn more about obtaining a library card, and for information about valid forms of ID, please reference the Wauwatosa Public Library.

The city issues water, sewer, and storm water bills quarterly in the mail around the first of the month. Bills are due on the 20th of each month. Bills are issued to the owner or resident. If you want, the bill can be mailed to an address other than the service address. You can pay your bill online, by mail, in person, by using the 24 hour deposit located at the south-west end of City Hall, through your private bank's online bill pay, or over the phone.

For more information on how billing works, please see our Billing & Rate Information page.

For general information about water utilities in Wauwatosa, please see our Water Utility page. 

To find your garbage and recycling schedule, please see our Refuse and Recycling Map. You may click on the map to view an individual refuse and recycling schedule based on your address, and/or you may use the Search Tool to locate your property by address. 

For more information about garbage and recycling, please see our Garbage Recycling and Yard Waste Carts page.

The cost to a single-family property owner would be $51 per year. You would see your first transportation user fees on your utility bill starting in 2024. You will notice separate line items for water, sanitary sewer, stormwater, and transportation user fees. Your account may be setup as monthly or quarterly.

We wouldn’t want to use these transportation utility funds for bicycle and pedestrian projects because we’re charging based on vehicular trips. However, the transportation utility is designed to relieve pressure on the city’s capital budget. Therefore, there might be more funds for bicycle and pedestrian projects

You are allowed to mow your lawn any time after 7 a.m. but no later than 10 p.m.

 All grass should not be taller than 6 inches in height. If you have concern about tall grass or any other property maintenance you can submit a Property Maintenance Service Request Form. 

Though the value of your property affects your share of taxes, the actual amount you pay is determined by the budget needs of the schools, city, county, sewer district,  and technical college. All of these taxing units decide what services they will provide in the coming year and how much money they will need to provide those services. Once this decision is made, a tax rate is adopted that will generate the needed dollars.

There are 5 taxing authorities that approve a budget each year that together become the Tax Levy. 

• Common Council
• School Board
• MATC Board
• MMSD Board
• County Board

During a construction project, it is a good time to evaluate the state of your water service lateral. We communicate with you (the homeowner) if there is a lead lateral on your property. As a homeowner, you own this lateral, so you can decide if you want to patch, line, or replace the lead lateral, at your expense.

In similar neighborhood projects, one neighbor has volunteered to collaborate with other neighbors to hire a contractor to replace several lead laterals in the same area. This could lead to a discount in price. The neighborhood leader would survey neighbors for interest, open a project up for bid, and serves as a liaison for selecting a contractor.

Read our Q&A about lead laterals.

Yes, it is legal to bury sump pump discharge piping. If it is buried, it must be connected to the city storm sewer.

Patients with COVID-19 have had mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of:

• fever
• cough
• shortness of breath

CDC believes at this time that symptoms of COVID-19 may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 days after exposure.

For most properties, the assessment was established at the last revaluation, unless changes in a property description may occur after the last revaluation that may result in a different assessed value. The estimated fair market value is calculated by taking the assessment and dividing it by the city wide assessment ratio.

This ratio is determined by the Department of Revenue and the same ratio shows up on all tax bills within Wauwatosa. However, the ratio and its resulting estimated fair market value is not specific to location or type of property as it reflects all sales activity from the previous year.

We, as appraisers set the values. The CAMA system is just a tool that assists us in our work. Internally, every value generated by our system is reviewed for  “reasonableness.” If a generated value does not appear appropriate, either for its neighborhood or property type, other value indicators are considered.

Externally, our work is reviewed by the Department of Revenue (DOR) as to the degree of “equity” achieved. We receive reports from the DOR that measure our assessment results.

The safety of residents is the City of Wauwatosa's top priority. City departments, including Health, Police, Fire, Public Works, and others are working to minimize the risk of coronavirus germs in our facilities.

We've taken the following measures:

• Performing routine environmental cleaning - we have passed along the CDC’s recommendation on environmental cleaning and disinfection to our cleaning company and asked them to heighten the focus of wiping down and cleaning frequently touched surfaces in city buildings.
• We will be displaying posters in public areas on ways we can all aid in stopping the spread of germs.
• We are asking each department to identify essential business functions and review their contingency plans in the event that there is increased employee absenteeism.
• Additional measures will be taken as needed to protect the safety of our residents and visitors.

Grass clippings are not allowed at the Wauwatosa Drop Off Center or in the curbside yard waste collection. You can use one of the following methods to get rid of your grass clippings:

1. Use a mulching mower and keep the clippings on the lawn for a soil enhancer.
2. Collect and spread the clippings in gardens or flower beds to act as mulch.
3. Compost in piles or bin. Compost piles must be located ten feet or more from your house and should not cause odor.
4. Use the services of a commercial landscaper or yard keeper to manage grass clippings.

A few years ago, Wauwatosa discussed a possible wheel tax. This is a tax based on vehicle registration. In other words, Wauwatosa residents would pay a tax based on how many vehicles they own. Businesses and other property types might be excluded from this funding model. Plus, the wheel tax model did not include a way to capture funds from non-residents, despite them being users of the transportation system. Ultimately, the wheel tax was not approved.

The Common Council has reviewed funding options for improving and maintaining our transportation system and found that a transportation utility with fees based on trips generated by property uses is the most appropriate method to provide the necessary funds. A transportation utility will equate our roadway network to a utility, similar to our water, sanitary sewer, and stormwater utilities. We will collect user fees based on how many vehicular trips come and go from their property. This is determined by national engineering standards, and not at all related to property value. Different land use types (bank, salon, church, etc.) generate different trip generation rates.

City ordinance requires all sump pump piping to be installed one foot above the ground and extend a minimum of three but no more than five feet from your home. You can drain water onto your yard, street, or alley as long as it is not creating ponding, icy conditions, or disturbing the public right-of-way.