Storm Debris Pickup in Montgomery County: Who Takes What
After a storm: how to sort your piles, who picks up in Conroe, the county and The Woodlands, and what you have to haul yourself.
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Referral website, not the contractor. How it works
Montgomery County storm debris pickup runs only after a declared disaster and takes only vegetation: limbs, trees, leaves and plants, piled loose in the right-of-way. Fencing, drywall, roofing and ruined furniture are yours to remove.
Conroe Junk Pros is a referral website, not a junk removal company. We send your request to one independent local junk removal company. You never pay us; companies we refer you to may pay us for referrals.
What this page is based on. The county takes on storm debris removal only during a declared disaster, so there's no standing program to look up. The rules below come from the city, county and Township notices issued after Hurricane Beryl in July 2024, the most recent large cleanup. Each program is set up again after each storm, so check the current notice before you build your pile.
How to sort storm debris at the curb
The City of Montgomery and WM tell residents to follow FEMA directions and sort storm debris into separate piles, apart from regular trash and recycling. The same five categories are the easiest way to plan who takes what anywhere in the county:
| Pile | What goes in it | Who removes it |
|---|---|---|
| Vegetation | Tree branches, logs, stumps, plants, leaves (not bagged) | Conroe or county crews, after a declared disaster |
| Construction and demolition | Building materials, carpet, drywall, furniture, lumber, mattresses, plumbing, fencing, roofing | Property owner; county and Conroe storm crews leave it |
| Appliances and white goods | Refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, heat pumps, stoves, washers, dryers, water heaters | Property owner; storm crews take vegetation only |
| Electronics | Computers, TVs, radios, stereos, anything with a cord | Property owner; not storm crews or WM bulky pickup |
| Household hazardous waste | Cleaning supplies, batteries, lawn chemicals, oils, stains, pesticides | Property owner; Precinct 3 hazardous waste days |
| Household trash | Food waste and bagged garbage | Your regular trash hauler, on your normal day |
Keep spoiled food out of every storm pile. The Township's 2024 guide says rotting household trash must go out separately from green waste and construction debris.
Who picks up storm debris where
Your address decides which program covers you. Montgomery County's 2024 vegetative pickup covered every resident of the county except those inside Conroe city limits, according to the county's emergency management office.
| Where you live | Who collected vegetative storm debris in 2024 | How to get on the list |
|---|---|---|
| City of Conroe | Conroe Public Works, zone by zone | Address lookup on the city's green debris map; Public Works 936-522-3885 |
| Unincorporated Montgomery County | County contractor, by debris zone | County debris removal survey; your precinct office (Precinct 4: 936-597-4444) |
| The Woodlands, north of Spring Creek | Montgomery County (the Township said it is not responsible) | County request form; Precinct 2 281-259-6492, Precinct 3 281-367-3977 |
| Creekside Park (The Woodlands) | Harris County Precinct 3 | Harris County request form; 713-274-3100 |
The county's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (936-523-3900, per the Township's guide) posted debris zones and pass schedules in 2024. In July it reported more than one million cubic yards of vegetative debris and said each zone would get a first pass, with a second pass scheduled later.
Pile rules crews enforce
From Conroe's Public Works page and the 2024 county and Township notices:
- Right-of-way only. Put debris as close to the curb as you can. The Township's 2024 guide said within two to three feet of the street edge; the county's Precinct 3 notice said within five feet of the curb. Anything farther back on private property stays.
- Nothing in the road, ditches or storm drains. Piles there block traffic and drainage. Conroe also asks you to keep piles away from trees, poles, mailboxes, fire hydrants and meters.
- No plastic bags. Both Conroe and the county said bagged debris would be left. Leaves go out loose.
- No mixing. On its first pass after Beryl, Conroe found many piles holding damaged fencing, construction material and trash bags, and its crews did not collect them. The city asked residents to separate those items so the green debris could go on the second pass.
- Move your carts. Conroe asks you to set trash containers to the side of green piles so crews can reach them.
- Storm damage only. When commissioners stopped the county's contracted pickup in late August 2024, one commissioner said he had seen standing dead trees cut down and piled in the right-of-way. Pile only what the storm brought down.
Small storm cleanups: regular trash service
If the storm only dropped a few limbs, you may not need the disaster program. In The Woodlands, WM's regular service takes yard debris that meets its curbside rule, which the Township calls 4 x 4 x 40:
| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| Branch diameter | 4 inches or less |
| Length | Cut to 4 feet |
| Weight | 40 pounds or less per bundle |
| Container | Tied bundles, an open container, or paper yard bags |
WM's bulky pickup in The Woodlands, booked at least two business days ahead (800-800-5804), took up to two bundles of fence or deck boards (six feet long, five boards each), furniture, mattresses, and up to two four-foot rolls of carpet in 2024. It didn't take construction debris, electronics or brush. In Conroe, regular brush and bulk rules are in our Montgomery County disposal guide.
Hauling storm debris yourself
The Township's 2024 flyer listed three drop-off options for yard debris:
| Site | What it took | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Township Recycling Drop-Off Center, 5102 Research Forest Dr. | Leaves, limbs and branches up to 6 inches wide and 6 feet long | Free, Township residents only; Wednesdays 4 to 7 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; may close when full |
| Precinct 3 Residential Recycling Facility, 1122 Pruitt Rd., Spring | Bagged leaves, branches up to 6 inches by 6 feet, home improvement and wood waste | Fees apply; Montgomery County residents only, no contractors |
| Nature's Way Resources, 101 Sherbrook Circle, Conroe | Loose leaves and grass free; limbs, logs and other yard waste for a fee | Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; 936-273-1200 |
Those hours are from 2024. Call before you load the truck. Precinct 3's current fee table is in the disposal guide.
The debris nobody picks up for free
Damaged roofing, fence panels, drywall, soaked carpet and ruined furniture fall outside both programs. The Township's guide says these items can't go out as WM bulky pickup or as county storm debris; the homeowner is responsible. The county program can also end early: commissioners halted all county debris removal operations on August 27, 2024, after the contractor asked for $10 million more.
This is the part of a cleanup where a junk removal company is useful. It can load wet drywall, carpet and furniture from inside the house, plus fencing and limbs from the yard, in one trip. Before anything leaves, photograph damaged items for your insurance claim and ask your adjuster what they need. For whole-yard jobs, see garage and yard cleanouts; for remodel waste after repairs, see construction debris removal.
Prices for a truckload are in the junk removal cost guide.
Common questions
What counts as storm debris in Montgomery County?
For the free government pickups after Hurricane Beryl in 2024, only vegetation counted: trees, stumps, branches, logs, leaves and plants knocked down by the storm. Damaged fencing, drywall, roofing, carpet and furniture were construction debris, and the county said the property owner is responsible for removing them.
Do I have to register for storm debris pickup?
In 2024, yes, outside Conroe city limits. Montgomery County asked property owners to fill out an online debris removal survey so their pile would be on the list, and The Woodlands Township said all residents had to submit the county's request form. Watch your county precinct's page for the form after the next declared disaster.
Does Conroe pick up storm debris separately from the county?
Yes. The county's 2024 program covered all of Montgomery County except Conroe city limits. Inside the city, Conroe Public Works collected green debris in zones, with an address lookup map. Call Public Works at 936-522-3885 with questions.
Will the county take debris in plastic bags?
No. Both the county and Conroe said in 2024 that debris in plastic bags would not be picked up. Leave leaves and branches loose. For regular WM yard service in The Woodlands, use an open container or paper yard bags.
Who removes a tree that fell on my house or fence?
You do. The Woodlands Township's 2024 flyer says removing trees that fall onto private property is the homeowner's or property owner's responsibility, and the county only collects from the right-of-way. Report fallen trees blocking a road to your county precinct.
Sources (8)
- City of Conroe Public Works: Green debris removal (Hurricane Beryl, updated Aug. 26, 2024)
- Hello Woodlands: MCOHSEM says debris pickup is underway throughout Montgomery County (July 16, 2024)
- Montgomery County Precinct 4: Storm debris pickup registration (July 16, 2024)
- The Woodlands Township: Hurricane Beryl recovery information flyer (July 11, 2024, PDF)
- The Woodlands Township Environmental Services: A guide to storm debris during hurricane season (July 31, 2024)
- City of Montgomery and WM: Separating household trash and recycling from storm debris (PDF)
- ABC13: Montgomery County commissioners halt debris pickup amid $10 million dispute (Aug. 28, 2024)
- Montgomery County Precinct 3: Residential Recycling Facility
Last updated 2026-11-04