'Tis the season when the leaves have changed in color and are now gracefully falling from the trees onto your lawn. Armed with your trusty rake, you start to pile up the leaves, only for your children to dismantle your hard work with cannonballs. So, you reconstruct the leafy fortresses, only to repeat the process again.

Whether you rake or use a leaf blower, there's undoubtedly a courteous way to ensure you don't leave a mess in your street or your neighbor's yard.

So, if you are one of "those" people who blows your leaves directly into the street, we have to have a little chat.

This happened in my neighborhood recently. On of my wonderful neighbors in Lewiston came over to my wife as she was blowing the leaves and thanked her for not blowing them into the street, because one gentleman definitely does this.

They got to talking about it, and she told my wife that he constantly blows a massive amount of leaves directly onto the street and her property. He does this with snow too, but that's a whole other conversation.

So, the question is..

Is It Illegal to Blow Your Leaves Onto the Street?

From what I found, there is nothing official about leaves in particular.

The state of Maine does not say anything about leaves in the road, but they do say that gravel, snow, and any other "injurious substances" are prohibited. I do not see anything about blowing leaves on the official legislative website.

However, this doesn't mean that there aren't specific guidelines in different communities.

Many cities have given us proper methods for disposing of yard waste. For instance, in Portland, residents have the option to drop off leaves and yard waste year-round at the Transfer Station.

Therefore, it's advisable to check your local town's guidelines! If you're unsure about the regulations, it's a good idea to consult with your local town authorities.

Beyond the official rules, here's the off-script opinion, and it's worth noting the unspoken consensus that it's 100 % considered RUDE to blow your leaves directly onto the street or someone else's property.

Let us all exercise common sense when clearing natural waste from our yards, and show kindness to our neighbors.