Yard Pawtrol terms and conditions

1) Ongoing Month-to-Month / Season-to-Season Service

Yard Pawtrol services are month-to-month with no long-term contract. We consider you a continuing customer from season to season unless we receive appropriate written communication in accordance with our Cancellation Policy (below).

2) Scope of Standard Service

A standard Yard Pawtrol visit includes removal of dog waste from the areas we can reasonably access on the property, including lawns, gardens, and mulch beds.

Additional Labor Areas (Behind Shrubs / Rock Beds): Standard service includes lawns, gardens, and mulch beds that are reasonably accessible. Cleanup behind/under dense shrubs, within rock/stone beds, or other areas that require extra time or difficult access is not included in standard service. If you would like these areas included, Yard Pawtrol will provide an add-on quote. No additional work outside standard service will be performed without your approval (text/email approval acceptable). If approval is not received before a scheduled visit, those areas may be skipped until approved.

3) Waste Disposal Options

By default, removed waste is placed in your on-site trash bin.

If you would like Yard Pawtrol to haul waste away after each visit, it is available for an additional $10/month (must be selected/added to your account).

4) Lawn Debris, Leaves, and Visibility

We sometimes have a hard time finding waste piles when leaves cover the ground. We will do our best, but we have limited time at your property and can’t move all leaves out of the way to search for waste. We request that you do your best to keep leaves clear so we can thoroughly clean the yard. We offer a leaf clean-up add-on in the fall.

We will work around larger amounts of lawn debris (e.g., tree limbs) caused by inclement weather, etc.

5) Trash and Small Animal Removal

We will pick up common small trash items (newspapers, plastic bottles, paper cups, etc.) along with dog waste (as long as it’s not excessive).

If necessary, we may remove small dead animals (e.g., mice, squirrels) as part of servicing the yard.

Excluded hazardous materials: For safety reasons, we do not handle hazardous or unsafe items (including but not limited to needles/sharps, human waste, chemicals, broken glass in large quantities, or anything that could pose a health risk). If unsafe conditions exist, we may skip the affected area or reschedule service until conditions are safe.

6) Excessive Waste / Extra Charges

Your monthly rate assumes a typical amount of waste for your service frequency. If waste is excessive due to extended time between cleanups, unusual accumulation, or conditions that significantly increase service time, Yard Pawtrol may, at its discretion:

apply an additional fee, and/or
require a one-time cleanup rate before returning to standard service, and/or
recommend (or require) an increased service frequency to maintain results.

7) Dog Count, Pricing Tiers, and New Dogs

Pricing is based on dog count tiers: 1–2 dogs, 3–4 dogs, and 5+ dogs.

If you get a new dog (or dog count changes), you agree to notify the office promptly so your pricing and service expectations can be updated accordingly.

8) Crew Capacity and Winter Daylight

Our routes are planned around crew capacity and daylight hours—especially in winter. A technician can safely and thoroughly service only a certain number of homes per day, so after major weather disruptions or closures, it may not be possible to “double up” routes the next day. Your next visit may involve removing more waste than usual, and we account for that in our ongoing service model.

Yard Pawtrol service is billed as a flat monthly rate. This rate is designed to “even out” over time and is not prorated based on the exact number of visits in any specific month due to holidays, weather, or unavoidable scheduling changes.

When visits are missed due to weather, holiday closures, or staffing limitations, we will resume service as soon as conditions allow and your next visit may involve removing more waste than usual.

What You’re Paying For

Dog waste removal is not like lawn mowing, where the work is essentially the same each week and done by machine. The time required depends on how much waste is present and the conditions in the yard. Our pricing is based on maintaining your yard over time, and we schedule enough time per property to keep it in excellent condition across the season—not to guarantee the exact same number of minutes every single week.

Route Day Changes (Different From Holiday Closures)

Your service is assigned a “typical” day each week, but your day may occasionally change due to:

weather disruptions,
technician illness/injury,
call-outs, or
route balancing to keep service consistent for everyone.

When this happens, we will service you on the next available day whenever possible. This is different from a holiday closure, when the business is closed and routes may be skipped entirely.

9) Weather and Holiday Credits

Because our service is priced to average out over the season—and because missed visits often require extra time and cleanup on the next visit—we do not offer credits or refunds for:

weather-related disruptions, or
observed holiday closures.

We work hard to keep pricing affordable (often lower than competitors), and this approach helps keep rates consistent while still delivering a clean yard over time.

We work in most light rain and normal winter conditions. However, for safety and service quality, we may postpone service during conditions such as lightning, flooding, high winds, heavy rain, ice, or when snow cover prevents us from effectively locating and removing waste.

If weather prevents a visit, we will:

Reschedule for the next available day when possible, or
Skip the visit and resume on your next scheduled service day if rescheduling is not feasible.

When we return, we will do what’s reasonably necessary to bring your yard back to excellent condition. Because monthly pricing is flat-rate and missed visits typically require extra time and cleanup on the next service, no credits or refunds are offered for weather-related disruptions.

If your scheduled service falls on a holiday, it will be skipped without a credit. The following holidays are observed by Yard Pawtrol: Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. Our office is closed between Christmas and New Year’s Day each year. Please note that there are often vacations during this time, and some service may be disrupted. The December bill will be adjusted if needed to reflect any changes.

10) Fuel & Route Efficiency

We are greatly affected by the cost of fuel. If fuel costs can be reduced by creating a more efficient route (rather than increasing prices), your service day may be adjusted. We will notify you if a schedule change is necessary. Fuel surcharges may apply if you require a specific day of the week and we cannot adjust your service to maintain an efficient route.

11) Inaccessible Yards (No Calls/Knocks)

Once the service team arrives, we begin our systematic approach. To provide timely, efficient, and dependable service, we do not call or knock if a yard is inaccessible.

We do not offer credits or makeup visits for missed service due to inaccessible yards. We send a text when we are on our way—please add as many cell phone numbers as needed so everyone in the household gets the message.

Inaccessible yards include, but are not limited to: locked or broken gates, ongoing projects, moving vans, too many parked cars, unsafe pets outside, outdoor parties, irrigation running, construction materials, or workmen in the yard.

12) Gates & Locked Gates

Our teams are very careful about closing and locking gates. If security is a concern, please check your gate/lock after service to confirm it is secured. If you find a gate/lock open, contact us and we will remind the team. However, we cannot guarantee a gate will latch or a lock will remain in place. You accept our service with these terms.

13) Pets

We are careful about closing and locking gates, but we cannot guarantee a pet will not escape if they are outside. We recommend keeping pets inside on service days if they are likely to try to get out when we arrive or leave.

14) Deer Waste

We do not clean up deer waste because our equipment does not pick it up properly. Due to the quantity and consistency of deer waste, it is not included in standard cleaning services. We may remove some occasionally if time permits, but it is not part of our service terms.

If deer waste is an issue, we offer a deer repellent service that may be bundled into your current service.

15) Property Damage & Pre-Existing Conditions

We take care while servicing properties. However, Yard Pawtrol is not responsible for issues caused by pre-existing conditions or property defects, including but not limited to: broken/weak gates or latches, failing fence sections, hidden hazards under grass/leaves, unstable edging, brittle landscaping features, or irrigation/sprinkler issues not apparent at the time of service.

Any property damage concerns must be reported to the office promptly (preferably within 48 hours) with photos so we can investigate fairly and quickly.

16) Changes, Complaints, and Communications

Please direct all communications, service changes, and complaints to the office—not the service team. Team leaders may forget, be off the next day, or misunderstand information. Contacting the office ensures your request is recorded correctly in your customer file and placed on work orders. This is the only approved way to request changes, additional services, or special instructions.

Best ways to contact us: text or email (phone calls are welcome when needed).

17) 🐾 Missed Waste Policy — Yard Pawtrol

If you believe a technician missed a significant amount of waste:

Step 1: Notify us within 24 hours of your service (phone, text, or email).
Step 2: We investigate promptly (review notes, speak with the technician, and may request photos/details).
Step 3: We make it right if a substantial amount was missed:

We’ll return within 48 hours to re-clean the area at no additional cost, or
We may credit your account if a return visit isn’t possible.

Minor residual waste (small/damaged droppings, waste hidden in thick leaves/mulch/long grass) may occasionally be missed due to visibility. In these cases, we do our best on the next visit and recommend regular service to prevent buildup.

If multiple complaints occur at the same location, we may re-evaluate property size, service frequency, and pricing, and may assign a different technician or schedule a supervised visit.

18) Billing Procedure & Late Fees

Yard Pawtrol bills one month ahead. If you sign up for auto-pay or save a card on file, we can bill at the end of each month and invoice only for work performed (must be requested).

Invoices run on the 1st day of the month, and balances are due by the 15th. A $30 late fee may be added to unpaid balances for each month a balance remains unpaid, plus any costs incurred for collection, including reasonable attorney fees.

19) Cancellation & Pause Policy (Two Weeks’ Notice Required)

There is no long-term commitment. You may pause or cancel at any time with at least two (2) weeks / fourteen (14) days’ written notice to the office (text or email preferred).

Mid-month cancellations: If you cancel in the middle of the month without providing the required two-week notice, you will be charged for the entire month.

Seasonal cancellations may be subject to price increases upon reactivation.

20) How to Contact Us

Email: info@Yardpawtrol.com
Electronic notifications are monitored from 9am–5pm during the work week and frequently over the weekend. We prefer text because messages reach us even when we’re out of the office, and we can respond quickly regarding schedule changes and special service instructions.

Telephone: 484-441-6737
Office hours: 9am–5pm, Monday–Friday. We will do our best to return calls the same day if you call before 4pm. Messages are checked regularly.