Trash & Recycling in Clovis, CA: What Residents Actually Need to Know

If you live in Clovis or are thinking about moving there, trash & recycling are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Clovis has 10 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of trash & recycling, and some of them might surprise you.

Illegal Dumping

Dumping waste matter on a vacant lot, street, alley, gutter, highway, park, or other public place is unlawful in Clovis. Violators face a misdemeanor charge plus an administrative citation of up to $1,000, and that $1,000 exposure applies to the first violation and to every one after it, not just repeat offenses.

Key details: Prohibited locations: Vacant lots, streets, alleys, gutters, parks. Administrative citation: Up to $1,000, first and later violations. Classification: Misdemeanor. Vehicle owner liability: Applies regardless of owner's knowledge. Last amended: Ord. 23-07, eff. October 5, 2023.

Section 6.3.13(d) makes illegal dumping a misdemeanor and authorizes an administrative citation up to $1,000 for the first violation and each one thereafter, on top of any other enforcement remedy the City has available. Under the Code's general penalty, § 1.2.01, a misdemeanor conviction can also bring up to six months in jail, and each day a dumped condition continues can be logged as a separate offense; the City may additionally treat any resulting mess as a public nuisance subject to summary abatement.

This is one of the stricter rules in Clovis's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Yard Waste Collection

Clovis provides every residential customer with once-a-week greenwaste pickup on the same day as regular trash, charging $3.66 a month and supplying one City-labeled container at no initial cost. Grass clippings, prunings, wood, and other landscape organics go in that bin, set out by the same curbside deadline as garbage.

Key details: Collection frequency: Once weekly, same day as trash. Monthly fee: $3.66. Free containers: 1 per residential customer. Additional container cost: Same $3.66 monthly fee. Rate adjustment: +4% every July 1 since 2007.

Subsection (e) bars anyone besides the City's authorized agent and its officers, agents, and employees from picking up, collecting, or removing material from a greenwaste container once it's been placed at curbside for collection, the same anti-scavenging rule that covers recycling bins; a violation is a misdemeanor under Chapter 6.3's general violations clause, § 6.3.18. Willful damage to a City-provided greenwaste container is billed to the resident at actual replacement cost plus delivery and administration expenses under subsection (c).

Mandatory Organics Recycling

Clovis requires every residential and commercial generator to sort food scraps and other organic waste into the City's green container under Chapter 6.3.2, adopted to implement state law SB 1383. Mixing organics into the trash cart is a contamination violation that can draw a notice and, after 2024, civil penalties.

Key details: Governing chapter: Clovis Municipal Code Ch. 6.3.2. Adopted: Ordinance 22-01, eff. April 13, 2022. Residential duty section: § 6.3.2.03. Enforcement start for penalties: January 1, 2024. Alternative to green cart: On-site or community composting allowed.

Placing organic waste, food scraps, or recyclables in the wrong container is a "prohibited container contaminant" under Section 6.3.2.02 and grounds for a notice of violation under Section 6.3.2.12. Since January 1, 2024, documented noncompliance can lead to civil penalties and administrative citations issued under Chapter 7 of Title 1, on top of any notice of violation requiring correction by a stated compliance date.

Recycling Rules

Once recyclables are set out at a Clovis collection point, whether curbside, a multifamily centralized bin, a commercial recycling bin, or a greenwaste container, only the City's authorized agent and its own officers, agents, and employees may take them. Anyone else who picks up, collects, or removes those materials is violating the Municipal Code.

Key details: Who may collect set-out recyclables: Only the City's authorized agent. Covered streams: Curbside, centralized, commercial, greenwaste. Governing sections: §§ 6.3.23(c), 6.3.23.1(c), 6.3.24(e). Penalty classification: Misdemeanor under § 6.3.18.

Chapter 6.3's general violations clause, § 6.3.18, makes any unlawful act under the chapter a misdemeanor, and scavenging recyclables or greenwaste from a placed container qualifies. Under the Code's general penalty, § 1.2.01, that's punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in county or City jail, or both, or the City Attorney can instead prosecute it as an infraction with escalating $100/$200/$500 fines for repeat violations within a year, and each day the conduct continues counts as a separate offense.

Bin Placement Rules

Clovis property owners on alleys must use the alley for garbage, rubbish, and greenwaste pickup and put containers out before 6:00 a.m. on collection day. Everyone else places containers at the street curb edge by the same 6:00 a.m. deadline and must pull the empty containers back by noon the following day.

Key details: Curb/alley set-out deadline: 6:00 a.m. on collection day. Empty-container removal deadline: Noon the day after pickup. Storage limit between pickups: No closer than the building setback. Alley-front properties: Must use alley unless too narrow. Loose material: Boxes/bags outside containers not collected.

A missed pull-in or an early curb set-out is enforced through Chapter 6.3's general violations clause, § 6.3.18, which makes any unlawful act or unlawfully kept garbage or rubbish under the chapter a misdemeanor. Under the Code's general penalty, § 1.2.01, that carries up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in jail, or both, with the City Attorney free to charge it instead as an infraction carrying escalating fines of $100, $200, and $500 for repeat violations within a year.

Collection Schedule

Every occupied property in Clovis must subscribe to and pay for the City's basic refuse service; opting out isn't allowed except for a narrow grandfather rule covering private haulers already serving a newly annexed area. Collection runs once a week, with single-family basic service set at 105 gallons of capacity for $21.74 a month.

Key details: Collection frequency: Once weekly. Single-family basic capacity: 105 gallons per week. Single-family base charge: $21.74 per month. Account opening fee: $10.00, nonrefundable. Single-family deposit: $25.00, held 2 years.

Section 6.3.12 makes it unlawful for anyone other than the City, or a narrowly grandfathered private hauler in newly annexed territory, to collect, transport, or dispose of garbage or rubbish within City limits, a misdemeanor under Chapter 6.3's general violations clause, § 6.3.18. Unpaid refuse bills become delinquent on the same schedule as City water bills under § 6.3.11, triggering immediate service discontinuance without further notice and exposing the customer to a civil collection suit.

Dumpster Rules

Mobile home parks, multifamily properties, and commercial or industrial users on bin or compactor service in Clovis must keep containers inside enclosures built to City standard drawings and set them at the alley if the property fronts one, or wherever the Public Utilities Director approves otherwise. Keeping a bin clean costs $8.00 if the City has to do it.

Key details: Bin cleaning fee: $8.00 per bin, if City cleans. Compactor cleanup surcharge: Actual cost plus 10% admin fee. Enclosure standard: City standard drawings, § 6.3.19. Location approval: Director of Public Utilities. Compactor ownership: Owner/occupant furnishes and maintains.

Failing to maintain a bin or compactor enclosure, or to clean up around one after notice, exposes the customer to the City performing the work and billing actual cost plus a 10% administration fee under § 6.3.07.1(c). Beyond that cost-recovery remedy, any act declared unlawful under Chapter 6.3, including violating the location and enclosure standards of §§ 6.3.07 and 6.3.19, is a misdemeanor under § 6.3.18, carrying up to a $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail under the Code's general penalty, § 1.2.01.

Recycling Requirements

Clovis bills every curbside customer $2.49 a month for recycling and hands out two City-labeled containers at no initial charge, with used motor oil set out separately in a customer-supplied container. Multifamily properties without curbside capability instead carry recyclables to a City-designated centralized collection point under the same program.

Key details: Curbside recycling fee: $2.49 per month. Containers provided: 2 City-labeled bins, no initial charge. Motor oil: Customer-provided container, set at curbside. Annual rate adjustment: +4% every July 1 since 2007. Commercial track: Separate contract via authorized agent.

A curbside customer who damages, destroys, or willfully neglects a recycling container is billed the actual replacement cost plus delivery and administration expenses under § 6.3.23(b); that charge is separate from the anti-scavenging misdemeanor in § 6.3.23(c). Because the recycling fee is billed with the refuse account, nonpayment triggers the same consequences as unpaid garbage charges under § 6.3.11: the City can discontinue service without further notice once the bill goes delinquent and can sue in civil court to collect what's owed.

Bulk Item Disposal

Clovis handles bulky waste and excess rubbish through a request-based special haul, not free curbside bulk pickup. Residents call to schedule removal, and the City bills by the hour once crews and equipment are dispatched, with a set minimum charge per visit under Municipal Code Section 6.3.10.

Key details: Governing section: Clovis Municipal Code § 6.3.10. Hourly rate: $79.40 per hour. Minimum charge: $13.50 per pickup. Scheduling: By resident request only. Billing: Same cycle as water/garbage bill.

Setting out bulky or excess rubbish without first scheduling a special haul is not itself listed as a separate misdemeanor in Section 6.3.10, but unlawfully depositing waste matter in a vacant lot, street, alley, or other public place is a violation of Section 6.3.13, punishable by an administrative citation of up to $1,000.00 for the first offense and each violation thereafter. Nonpayment of special-haul charges can lead to discontinuance of the resident's regular garbage service under Section 6.3.11.

Pickup Rules & Schedules

Clovis collects your gray trash, blue recycling, and green waste toters weekly on the same address-based day. Find it on the city's interactive service-day map; service slides one day after observed holidays.

Key details: Collection frequency: All three toters weekly. Find your day: Interactive service-day map. Holiday shift: Service slides one day later. Bulk pickup: Twice-yearly Community Clean-Up. Set-out time: By 6 a.m. collection day.

Toters must be at the curb by 6 a.m. on your collection day and stored properly otherwise. No specific monetary penalty is published; contact the Solid Waste Division for placement requirements.

The rules around pickup rules & schedules in Clovis lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

The Bottom Line

Clovis's trash & recycling rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Clovis is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that Clovis can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.