By Kathleen Meredith, Public Communications Assistant
People from all walks of life call College Station home, and we want to live in a community that values its residents — families, retirees and college students alike. Creating and sustaining harmony in our neighborhoods is everyone’s responsibility.
Most full-time residents understand our ordinances, but many college students don’t — especially those who are living here for the first time. When I first moved to College Station as a student, I wasn’t aware of many of our city codes, either.
By taking these tips to heart, you’ll make your neighborhood a happier, healthier place.
1. Say howdy
Once settled into your new home, introduce yourself to your neighbors and offer them your contact information in case of emergencies or other problems. It’s also a good idea to notify your neighbors when you plan to host a large gathering and invite them to contact you directly with noise or parking complaints.
2. Turn it down a notch
It’s unlawful for anyone to willfully make or allow continued loud noise, especially from 10 p.m.-7 a.m. Barking dogs count. As a general rule, if you can hear the noise at the end of your property line, it’s too loud. If you are bothered by noise and can’t resolve the issue on your own, report it to the College Station Police Department at 979-764-3600.
3. Tend to your pets
When not on your property, dogs must be on a leash and owners must clean up after them. Dogs, cats, and ferrets are required to be licensed, tagged and vaccinated in Brazos County. Even if your pet is licensed elsewhere, you’ll still need to tag them here. You can purchase registration tags through your veterinarian or the Aggieland Humane Society. Learn more at cstx.gov/animalcontrol or call 979-775-5755.
4. Talk trash (and recycling)
The process of moving in and out of a home can result in a mountain of unwanted items and trash. You might consider donating lightly used furniture, clothing, and other household items to local organizations instead of placing them out for sanitation collection.
Some things to remember:
- Trash containers must be placed at the curb in front of your residence before 8 a.m. on your designated collection day.
- Garbage should be bagged, tied and securely stored in your container with the lid closed at all times.
- Don’t place your container closer than four feet from other containers, mailboxes, cars or trees.
- Don’t pile bags or trash on top of or around your container, or the sanitation truck’s automated arm won’t be able to empty it.
- Items too large to fit in your container should be placed neatly on the curb for bulky collection.
- Brush should be cut into 8-foot lengths or shorter and put in a separate pile.
- You must remove your garbage and recycling containers from the curb within 12 hours of collection.
If you have a blue, single-stream recycling container, it’s collected by Brazos Valley Recycling. We encourage you to review the list of acceptable items printed on top of each container. Place only clean items in your recycling container, and anything not on the list should be put in the garbage. Shredded paper is the only recyclable that should be placed in clear plastic. Bagging other items isn’t necessary and could cause significant and costly damage to the sorting equipment.
For more information about sanitation or recycling, visit cstx.gov/sanitation or contact us at pubworks@cstx.gov or 979-764-3690. You can also download the free MyWaste app to keep up with collection schedules and updates on your mobile devices.
5. Know where to park
If you park where you’re not supposed to, you can be stuck with a costly citation. You can avoid that headache by remembering the 10 most common parking violations we see:
- Parking within 30 feet of a traffic control device such as a stop sign, yield sign or flashing light.
- Parking facing traffic — your car must always be parked in the direction of traffic flow.
- Parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant.
- Parking within 20 feet of a marked or unmarked crosswalk.
- Parking in a handicap space without a handicap placard.
- Parking on a yard — if more than half of the vehicle is parked in the grass, it’s a violation.
- Parking at expired meters.
- Overstaying allotted time periods in time-limited parking.
- Parking in loading zones.
- Blocking driveways so residents can’t get in or out.
6. Know the code
Many people don’t think about city codes until it’s too late. These are our most common code violations, which can also result in hefty fines:
- Open Storage: Don’t store anything in your yard or patio that’s not intended for outdoor use.
- Yard Maintenance: Weeds and grass shouldn’t be higher than 12 inches.
- Flyers/Signs: Nothing should be placed on utility poles, street signs or in the public right-of-way.
- Selling Parking Spaces: It’s illegal to operate a business in a residential neighborhood in College Station, and selling parking spaces on your property is a business.
You can review a complete list of code violations at cstx.gov/codeenforcement.
7. Get out and vote
Since you are affected by these codes and ordinances, it might be a good idea to participate in your local government by voting. To register to vote in Brazos County, go to brazosvotes.org. The next city election is Nov. 7.
8. Take advantage of job opportunities
The City of College Station has part-time and seasonal jobs available throughout the year. Go to csjobs.cstx.gov to see the latest listings and to apply.
Have a great year — and Gig ‘Em!
Kathleen Meredith is in her first year as public communications assistant with the City of College Station. She previously served as a communications assistant in Texas A&M’s Mechanical Engineering Department and interned with the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo's marketing department. Kathleen earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications/journalism from Texas A&M in 2017.
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