Your Guide to Allston Christmas: What to Know About Move-in Day in Boston

City officials gave an update Wednesday on preparations for Boston's student move-in day.

Representatives from the city's inspectional services, transportation, public works, fire and neighborhood services departments were all on hand for the briefing in Allston, giving an update on ongoing preparations for student move-in day on Thursday, Sept. 1.

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The ongoing Orange Line shutdown could also contribute to traffic issues on what is traditionally a very busy day.

Tens of thousands of college students are arriving in Boston this week ahead of the fall semester, and Sept. 1 -- affectionately known as Allston Christmas -- is typically the city's biggest moving day of the year.

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"The City of Boston is home to colleges and universities that attract students and families from all over the world,” Chief of Operations Dion Irish said. “We are excited to welcome students, families and visitors through the weekend. I’m grateful to the many city workers who have started preparations and will be working to ensure that all of our incoming students have safe housing, access to city services and understand how to be good neighbors.”

Here's a look at what residents, students and parents need to know:

Rodent checks

Sean Lydon, Boston's Inspectional Services Department commissioner, said his department will have 60 building, housing, environmental sanitation, electrical and mechanical inspectors out in city neighborhoods making sure the move-in process goes smoothly. They will be ocnducting routine neighborhood walkthroughs, checking for rodent infestation, deferred maintenance and other issues, he said.

They will be issuing violations to landlords if any deficiencies are found, and if they aren't immediately addressed they could face court appearances and potentially even fines. Lydon said buildings can also be shut down if they are found to be out of compliance.

Trash or treasure?

Lydon was asked for his advice on Allston Christmas presents -- in other words, grabbing items left on the street. He strongly advised against it, despite it being a common practice in the city.

"If you want to bring something from the trash, there's a reason why it's in the trash," he said. "I'd think twice, three times before taking it home. You can't really determine what's safe and what's not safet. I've seen people taking mattresses, and I don't think that's probably the most sanitary thing to do. Electrical appliances, you don't know if they're short wired or short circuited."

Parking and traffic restrictions

Brad Gerratt, Boston Transportation Department commissioner, said his goal is to help keep city streets safe for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers at a time when more people will be on the roads. To that end, he said parking restrictions are in effect through Monday, Sept. 5 on streets in many Boston neighborhoods, including Allston, Brighton, Fenway, Mission Hill, South boston, Back Bay and the North End. This will allow for students moving in to park moving trucks and other vehicles.

The full list of parking restrictions can be found here.

Gerratt said residents should look carefully for no parking signs before parking or they could risk a fine.

The Orange Line also remains shut down until Sept. 19, and alternatives can be found at boston.gov/orangeline.

Blue Bikes are also available to help get around the city, and he said many colleges provide annual discounted passes. The city is also offering free 30-day Blue Bike passes during the Orange Line shutdown.

Fall move-in in the Boston area is always pretty intense, so one group looked at a way to avoid the moving trucks and navigate the city their way.

Keep it clean

Mike Brohel, superintendent of street operations in the Public Works Department, said there will be additional trash volume over the next two weeks as people move in and move out of the city.

Public works will be issuing citations for the improper storage of household trash. Residents are asked to place their trash and recycling on the curb by 6 a.m. on their scheduled collection day, or set it out the night before after 5 p.m.

Additional trucks will also be out this weekend picking up trash that has been disposed of improperly to make sure the streets are kept clean.

Brohel said residents can report any trash that needs to be picked up by calling 311.

Don't leave charging phones unattended!

Fire safety is another big issue around move-in day. Deputy Fire Chief and Fire Marshal Joseph Shea noted that a fire Tuesday night in Brighton displaced 20 people, most of them students.

Since January of 2000, he said 86% of all college and university fire fatalities across the U.S. occurred in off-campus housing due mostly to lack of sprinklers, missing or disabled smoke alarms, careless disposal of smoking materials, fires in upholstered furniture on decks and porches and people who were under the influence of alcohol.

No open burning is allowed in Boston, meaning no fire pits. And propane and charcoal grills located above interior first floors are also illegal.

Shea also urged students to beware of candles, and said phones or laptops should not be left plugged in or unintended on a fabric surface or covered in any way, as they can also catch fire easily.