Lehi's Trash & Recycling: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles trash & recycling a little differently. In Lehi, Utah, there are 8 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Pickup Rules & Schedules

Lehi makes it unlawful for a property owner or occupant to dispose of solid waste or recycling material any way other than through the city's own collection rules, and requires every property to make its waste available for pickup under the council's regulations rather than self-hauling it.

Key details: Mandatory compliance: Must follow council-set collection rules. Self-hauling: Unlawful outside city's own rules. Hauling requirement: Sanitary, tightly covered receptacle. Street spillage: Unlawful to let waste fall in street. Max fine: $750 individual, $1,000 corporation.

Disposing of solid waste or recycling outside the city's established collection rules, or hauling it without a properly covered receptacle, is a class C misdemeanor under section 5-1-14, carrying the section 1-4-1 penalty of up to $750 for an individual and $1,000 for a corporation, with each day of continuing noncompliance a separate offense.

Bin Placement Rules

Lehi treats a garbage can left at the curb more than 24 hours after collection day as a nuisance, and every solid waste, recycling and green waste receptacle must stay covered except while it is being filled or emptied. Both rules sit in the City Code's solid waste and nuisance chapters.

Key details: Set-out window: Cart off street within 24 hrs of pickup. Receptacle condition: Clean, covered except loading/unloading. Waste ownership: Vests in city once set out. Max fine: $750 individual, $1,000 corporation. Enforcement: Administrative code enforcement hearing program.

A garbage can nuisance violation or an uncovered receptacle is enforced through Lehi's administrative code enforcement hearing program. Violations of the solid waste chapter carry a class C misdemeanor under section 5-1-14, punishable per section 1-4-1 by a fine of up to $750 for an individual conviction or $1,000 for a corporation, with each day a violation continues charged as a separate offense.

Collection Schedule

Lehi requires solid waste and green waste to be removed from every private residence at least once a week, and twice a week from markets, restaurants, hotels, hospitals and similar businesses. The city or its contracted hauler bills every property for the service under a council-set fee schedule.

Key details: Residential frequency: At least once a week. Commercial food/lodging uses: At least twice a week. Service: Mandatory for all residential property. Fees: Set by city council fee schedule. Max fine: $750 individual, $1,000 corporation.

Failing to have solid waste removed on the required weekly (or twice-weekly commercial) schedule is a violation of the solid waste chapter, punishable as a class C misdemeanor under section 5-1-14, subject to the section 1-4-1 penalty scale of up to $750 for an individual and $1,000 for a corporation, with continued noncompliance billed as a separate offense each day.

Yard Waste Collection

Lehi City runs a separate green waste collection service for grass, brush, branches, leaves and small trees under Chapter 5-1 of the city code. Green waste must go only in the city-provided green waste container, and the city picks it up at least once a week alongside regular trash.

Key details: Collection frequency: At least once weekly. Container rule: Only approved green waste allowed. Covered materials: Grass, brush, branches, leaves, shrubs. Ownership on set-out: Passes to the city. Violation penalty: Class C misdemeanor, up to $750.

Chapter 5-1 covers green waste along with solid waste and recycling: any violation, including letting yard debris accumulate more than a week or misusing a receptacle, is a class C misdemeanor under § 5-1-14, punishable by up to a $750.00 fine for an individual or $1,000.00 for a corporation under § 1-4-1, imposed on citation.

Recycling Requirements

Every residential property in Lehi must be enrolled in the city's solid waste and recycling removal service, and every resident pays the rate the city council sets by resolution. Disposing of waste any other way, or skipping the assigned pickup rules, is unlawful under Lehi City Code § 5-1-2.

Key details: Service scope: All residential property in Lehi. Provider: City or city-hired contractor. Rate authority: Set by city council resolution. Ownership at curb: Transfers to the city. Violation penalty: Class C misdemeanor, up to $750.

Disposing of solid waste or recycling material outside the city's collection system, or refusing to pay the assessed charge, violates § 5-1-2.B and is punishable under the chapter's general penalty at § 5-1-14 as a class C misdemeanor, carrying up to a $750.00 fine for an individual or $1,000.00 for a corporation under § 1-4-1.

Recycling Rules

Lehi limits recycling carts to specific materials: newsprint, aluminum, tin and other metal cans, plastics, mixed paper and cardboard. Hazardous waste, dangerous waste and anything meant for landfill or incinerator disposal is excluded, and Lehi City Code § 5-1-7 bars using the cart for anything else.

Key details: Accepted materials: Newsprint, cans, plastics, paper, cardboard. Excluded materials: Hazardous and dangerous waste. Cart rule: Recycling cart for recyclables only. Receptacle condition: Kept clean, covered, sanitary. Violation penalty: Class C misdemeanor, up to $750.

Contaminating a recycling receptacle with unapproved material, or otherwise violating the receptacle rules of Chapter 5-1, carries the chapter's general penalty at § 5-1-14: a class C misdemeanor with a fine of up to $750.00 for an individual or $1,000.00 for a corporation, imposed under the sentencing schedule at § 1-4-1.

Illegal Dumping

It is unlawful to dump, bury or place solid waste, or any other offensive substance, on any lot, street, alley or waterway within Lehi city limits. Lehi City Code § 5-1-4 bans the practice outright, and a violation is a class C misdemeanor under § 5-1-14.

Key details: Prohibited conduct: Dumping, placing or burying waste. Covers: Lots, streets, alleys, waterways. Offense class: Class C misdemeanor. Max fine: $750 individual / $1,000 corporation. Max jail: 90 days.

Dumping, placing or burying solid waste or any offensive substance anywhere in Lehi outside the authorized collection system violates § 5-1-4 and is a class C misdemeanor under § 5-1-14, punishable under § 1-4-1 by up to a $750.00 fine (or $1,000.00 for a corporation) and up to 90 days in jail for an individual.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Lehi actively enforces its illegal dumping requirements.

Dumpster Rules

Lehi requires dumpsters and other refuse storage areas to be visually screened by an enclosure built of the same material as the primary building, or another approved material. Open storage generally must sit behind the front building line and behind at least a six-foot screening fence or wall.

Key details: Dumpster screening required: Section 12.080.I. Enclosure material: Match primary structure or approved alt. Open storage min. screen fence: 6 feet. Screening wall material: Masonry, concrete, timber, or similar. Gates: Must match wall height and screening.

An unscreened dumpster or refuse storage area, or a screening enclosure that fails to match the required material or finish standards, is a Development Code violation under Section 34.010.D, a class C misdemeanor with each ten-day period of continued noncompliance a separate offense. Failure to correct a screening deficiency identified by the Zoning Administrator can also result in denial or revocation of a certificate of occupancy or other permit tied to the site.

The Bottom Line

Lehi'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 Lehi is broadly strict or permissive.

All of the above reflects Lehi's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.