MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Shelby County Government's storm debris collection for unincorporated areas begins Monday, September 21, 2026 and runs through November 30, 2026, the county announced in a September 15 release. The program covers debris from the August 22 windstorm that tore through the Memphis area and knocked out power across the county.
Pickup is not automatic. Residents must request collection from the county's Roads and Bridges division at 901-222-7705, weekdays between 7:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Tree limbs must be cut to lengths of eight feet or less and set out separately from household waste.
The program applies to unincorporated Shelby County only. Residents inside Memphis and the suburban municipalities are served by their own city collection services, not this program.
The August 22 storm, a bow echo event, caused widespread damage and outages; MLGW declared its restoration complete August 28. The county's collection program opens roughly a month after the storm and gives affected residents a ten-week window to call in a request.
Why It Matters for Memphis
Storm cleanup is one of the most concrete services county government provides, and the rules decide who actually gets it: this one requires a phone call during working hours, applies only outside city limits, and closes November 30. Residents who miss the call-in step or the deadline are on their own for hauling.
The Oversight Question
A by-request program is only as good as its intake. How many calls Roads and Bridges logs, how quickly crews close them, and whether unincorporated residents without weekday daytime phone access get equal service are the numbers that show whether the program worked.
Your city. Your money. Your receipts.
