Novi, MI Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

Novi City Code Sec. 21-168 splits yard debris into two tracks. Firewood that is stored as a principal or accessory use on the property must be stacked in a neat, orderly manner and, when kept outdoors, at least six inches away from any building or structure; front-yard storage of firewood is barred outright on any parcel used for single-family residential purposes. The clock starts running once trees, brush or other vegetation are cut or cleared: within 15 days, whatever wood the property owner intends to keep as firewood must be stacked to the same standard, and everything else, all the other cleared brush and vegetative material, must be hauled off the site entirely.

That removal deadline does not apply where the cleared trees, brush or vegetation sit at least 500 feet from the nearest residence, which effectively exempts large rural or wooded parcels far from neighbors. The Code defines firewood narrowly, as any wood or wood product meant to be burned as fuel, so a pile of yard clippings or ornamental brush trimmings does not get firewood's storage allowance and must simply be removed within the 15-day window. Both the property owner and any other person in control of the premises share responsibility for meeting both the stacking standard and the removal deadline, so a tenant clearing brush cannot leave compliance solely to an absentee landlord.