Updated October 15, 2026. Debris rules change as counties and cities adjust their plans, so check your county or city page (linked below) before you put anything at the curb.
Hurricane Isaias came ashore near Destin as a Category 2 hurricane at about 8:30 p.m. CDT on Friday, October 9, 2026. It knocked down a lot of trees across Okaloosa, Walton and Santa Rosa counties, and each county and city is now running its own cleanup under its own rules.
Pickup dates are easy to find. The harder questions decide whether a pile of limbs at your curb gets collected or sits there for weeks: who is allowed to put debris out, whether a private road is covered, and what happens when you hire a tree service.
Here is what each place has published so far, with the source for each.
Santa Rosa County: a hired contractor has to haul everything away
Santa Rosa County's Hurricane Isaias update is the clearest statement on this question in the region:
"If you hire a contractor to cut or remove fallen trees, the contractor is responsible for hauling away all debris. Debris from contractor-performed work should not be placed on the right-of-way for county debris pickup."
The rest of the county plan:
- The first pass started October 14 on publicly maintained roads.
- Piles go on the public right-of-way, with vegetative debris (limbs, branches, leaves) separate from construction and demolition debris (fencing, sheds).
- Do not bag anything. Only loose debris is collected.
- Keep piles away from drainage ditches, storm drains, mailboxes, water meters, fire hydrants, low limbs and power lines.
City of Milton: no pickup for contractor debris
Inside Milton city limits the city's notice says the same thing in plainer terms. Debris generated by private contractors, "including professional tree removal services," will not be collected by city crews. Residents who hire someone are responsible for making sure that contractor hauls and disposes of everything.
Milton is working 14 designated debris zones and expects two to three collection passes citywide. The city also tells residents to confirm that debris removal and disposal are included in the contract before work begins.
Okaloosa County (unincorporated): gated communities need a Right of Entry
Okaloosa County started curbside debris removal for unincorporated residents on October 14, in two separate pickup periods. The second date will be announced after the first pickup. Debris goes out unbagged and visible to crews, away from fire hydrants, mailboxes, power boxes and water meters. The county's emergency page has the full instructions.
The detail that catches people: gated subdivisions and subdivisions with manned security access are serviced only if the Homeowners Association has provided a signed Right of Entry Agreement. Electronic signatures are accepted, and completed agreements go to Marciana Kip at mkipp@myokaloosa.com. No agreement on file means no county trucks inside the gate.
If you live inside a city, the county says to contact that city instead.
City of Fort Walton Beach: private contractor yard waste is not normally collected
Fort Walton Beach's contractor, DRC Emergency Services, began curbside collection around October 14 and will make multiple passes over two to three weeks, according to WJHG. Residents do not schedule a pickup. Keep vegetative and construction debris in separate piles, loose, and clear of hydrants, mailboxes and utility boxes.
The city's standing rule on its residential services page is that it "does not pick up yard waste generated by private contractors performing tree removal or trimming at your home." Whether that rule is relaxed for Isaias is not confirmed in anything we found. Until the city says otherwise in writing, assume a hired crew needs to take its debris with it, and ask the city's Sanitation Division at 850-833-9655 if you want to be sure.
City of Destin: first pass about 17 days
According to the City of Destin, citywide collection began Thursday, October 15, starting in West Destin with one truck assigned to the Crystal Beach area. The first pass is estimated at about 17 days, and a second pass follows later.
- Place vegetative debris (trees, branches, limbs) in loose piles along the public right-of-way, separate from construction and demolition debris.
- Do not bag it or mix it with household garbage.
- Keep it away from roadways, sidewalks, storm drains, mailboxes and utility equipment.
- Avoid parking on city streets so collection equipment can get through.
The Destin notices we read do not say how contractor-generated debris is handled, so ask before assuming.
Walton County: private roads are included, unbagged
Walton County's commissioners approved amending the county's debris contract to remove storm debris from public and private neighborhoods, according to the county's board summary. WJHG reports that pickup started October 14, that crews will make multiple passes on each road, and that bagged debris may be skipped entirely because the trucks use grapples.
Private roads are covered here, which is not true everywhere (Bay County excludes them, and Okaloosa gated communities need the HOA to file paperwork). As with Destin, the notices do not spell out contractor-generated debris, so confirm that before you count on it.
Crestview: curbside, no scheduling
The City of Crestview says crews collect curbside as they move through neighborhoods, starting October 14, and you do not need to schedule a pickup. Keep clean vegetative debris and storm-related construction debris in separate piles, loose, away from hydrants, mailboxes and utility boxes, and cut anything longer than 10 feet into pieces.
Bay County: one pass, no private roads, no contractor debris
Farther east, Bay County's plan is the strictest of the group. Roadside collection of vegetative debris begins October 26 with only one pass through each eligible area. Private roads and private neighborhoods are excluded, and debris placed roadside by hired contractors will not be collected.
What this means if you hire a tree service
Public pickup is built for debris homeowners put out themselves. Once a crew is hired, the debris becomes the crew's problem in some places and yours in others. Three things to do before you sign:
- Ask whether haul-off is in the quote. In Santa Rosa County and the City of Milton, the contractor has to haul it, so a quote that covers cutting only leaves you with a pile you are not allowed to put out. At Reed, cleanup and haul-off are quoted as their own line so you can see the cost before work starts. Get that line on paper from whoever you hire.
- If you sit on an HOA board in a gated Okaloosa community, file the Right of Entry. It takes one signed form (electronic is fine) emailed to the county. Without it, county crews will not enter, and every resident ends up hiring their own haul-off.
- Keep piles off the street. Piles that spill into the road, block a hydrant or sit on a mailbox get skipped, and they slow down the trucks for your neighbors too. Keep vegetative debris separate from fencing, drywall and other construction material, and leave it unbagged.
Our storm cleanup service page covers the work we do after a hurricane, and the Destin storm cleanup page covers what we are doing near Destin right now. We also have area pages for Destin and Niceville.
Where to check for changes
Rules above were published between October 11 and October 15, 2026. Counties are adding passes, moving dates and changing eligibility every few days, so go to the source before you rely on any of it:
- Santa Rosa County and City of Milton
- Okaloosa County, Fort Walton Beach, Destin and Crestview
- Walton County and Bay County
Reed's climbing crew is working the Emerald Coast through late October. Call (850) 888-5603 for a written quote. Haul-off is quoted separately.