Connect with Your City: A Guide to Essential Lorain Services

Posted on by Aaron Knapp

By Aaron Knapp, Staff Writer, Lorain Daily

The City of Lorain is dedicated to providing its residents with a multitude of resources and services designed to enhance their daily lives and foster a strong sense of community. From reporting concerns to exploring city data and understanding local regulations, here’s a guide to some essential services available to you.

Engage with Your City: Lorain Listens

Have a non-emergency concern you’d like to report to the city? Look no further than Lorain Listens, your complimentary personal assistant right at your fingertips. Powered by SeeClickFix, this app makes reporting issues like street maintenance, tall grass, damaged trees, or street signage quick and easy.

Here’s a breakdown of the app:

Key Features:

  • Submit reports with photos or videos
  • Utilize your device’s GPS location
  • Select from a variety of concern categories
  • Opt to receive notifications when the reported work is complete

You can also explore other apps from the City of Lorain, Ohio on their developer page in the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/vc/developer/city-of-lorain-ohio/id1663043001

Start using Lorain Listens today and actively contribute to making our city an even better place to live, work, and play.

Utilities Services: Identifying Your Water Service Line

The City of Lorain Utilities Department is currently undertaking an important initiative to identify the materials of water service lines throughout the city. Your participation is vital to this effort, which aims to ensure the safety and efficiency of our water infrastructure.

How You Can Help:

You can contribute to this survey through one of the following convenient methods:

  • Scan the QR Code:
  • Use your smartphone or tablet to scan the QR code. This will directly open the survey on your device.
  • Click the Link: Access the online survey directly: Click Here to Launch the Survey

Explore More with the City of Lorain’s ArcGIS Hub

For a deeper dive into public information, interactive maps, and various applications offered by the City of Lorain, be sure to visit the City’s ArcGIS Hub site. This online portal provides access to a wealth of data and resources related to city planning, infrastructure, parks and recreation, and much more.

Access the Hub Here: https://gis.cityoflorain.org/portal/apps/sites/#/public

For specific questions or inquiries related to the City’s maps or data, you can contact the Lorain GIS department at: [email protected]

Get the Most Out of Public GIS with Quick Tips

To help residents effectively utilize the City’s Geographic Information System (GIS) resources, a document titled “Public GIS Quick Tips” has been created. While the content wasn’t directly accessible at the time of writing, it likely offers valuable guidance on navigating the city’s online mapping tools. For more information, contact the Lorain GIS department at: [email protected]

Find Your Ward: City of Lorain Ward Map

Understanding your ward is essential for civic engagement. The City of Lorain provides an online ward map to help you easily identify your representative district.

Access the Ward Map Here: https://gis.cityoflorain.org/portal/apps/sites/#/public/app/4d8d0dea788e4d8c97afb2ecec92817d

Rubbish, Recycling, and Yard Waste Regulations (2025-2026) – Official Source

The City of Lorain has established guidelines for the collection of rubbish, recycling, yard waste, and bulk items for the 2025-2026 period. Familiarizing yourself with these regulations ensures efficient and responsible waste management in our community.

You can view the full official document here: https://www.cityoflorain.org/DocumentCenter/View/6221/Service-Regulations-Lorain-OH-2025—-2026-1-15-25

Trash Rules and Regulations:

  • What to Put in the Trash Container: All bagged household garbage that fits with the lid closed, placed with the metal bar facing the street by 6:00 AM on pickup day (or the night before), 3 feet away from stationary objects.
  • What NOT to Put in the Trash Container: Hazardous waste, paint, chemicals, motor oil, liquids, dead animals, hot ashes, car parts, tires, lithium batteries, or car batteries.  

Recycling Rules and Regulations:

  • Place rinsed recyclable materials loosely in the recycle container (no bags).
  • Acceptable Materials: Newspapers (including inserts), aluminum/steel/bi-metal food and beverage cans, glass food and beverage bottles/jars, plastic containers marked #1-#7 (including detergent/soap), magazines, junk mail, cardboard, paperboard (clean pizza boxes), and all liquid-removed cartons.
  • Non-Recyclable Material: Containers with food/liquids, hazardous material containers, Styrofoam, aluminum foil, pie tins, window glass, mirrors, drinking glasses, light bulbs, ceramics, porcelain china, plastic bags/wrap, flowerpots, toys, scrap metal, car parts, batteries, yard waste, and shredded paper.
  • For extra trash when recycling, contact Republic Services at 1.800.433.1309.

Yard Waste Regulations:

  • Preferred in brown paper bio-degradable bags or loose in marked (YW) 32-gallon plastic cans (max 35 lbs).
  • Small branches must be bundled (max 4 ft length, 35 lbs).
  • No plastic bags, dirt, stone, or branches over 4 inches in diameter.
  • Collected year-round with solid waste. Properly placed yard waste will not result in a return trip if missed.

Bulk Regulations:

  • Includes household furniture, appliances (doors/Freon removed and tagged), TVs, etc.
  • Limit of roughly six 35-gallon bags (5’ x 5’ x 5’ area, <35 lbs each).
  • Christmas trees (ornament/bag-free, cut in half if over 4 ft) on regular collection day.
  • Carpet/wood (4 ft lengths, <40 lbs, rolled/bundled), boxes (broken down, <4 ft, <35 lbs, bundled), mattresses/upholstery (wrapped and sealed in plastic).
  • Max weight 100 lbs per item. No move-out/clean-out piles. Items with bed bugs MUST be wrapped and sealed in plastic.

Republic Services Holiday Schedule (2025-2026):

  • Service delayed by one day if your service day is on or after the holiday.
  • 2025: New Year’s Day (Wed, Jan 1), Memorial Day (Mon, May 26), Independence Day (No Delay), Labor Day (Mon, Sep 1), Thanksgiving (Thu, Nov 27), Christmas (Thu, Dec 25).
  • 2026: New Year’s Day (Thu, Jan 1), Memorial Day (Mon, May 25), Independence Day (Sat, Jul 4), Labor Day (Mon, Sep 7), Thanksgiving (Thu, Nov 26), Christmas (Fri, Dec 25).
  • Questions? Call Republic Services at 1.800.433.1309.

By utilizing these resources, residents can stay informed, engaged, and contribute to making Lorain a thriving community. For more information on these and other city services, please visit the official website at https://www.cityoflorain.org/.

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