Lewisville's Trash & Recycling: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles trash & recycling a little differently. In Lewisville, Texas, 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.

Dumpster Rules

Any dumpster, roll-off, compactor, or other outdoor receptacle placed on non-residential, multi-family, or mixed-use property in Lewisville needs city approval first, then must sit on a concrete or asphalt pad behind the building's front facade, screened on three sides by a six-foot masonry wall, and clear of easements, fire lanes, and required parking.

Key details: Approval required from: Neighborhood and Inspection Services Dept.. Screening: 6-ft masonry wall on 3 sides (§ 108.5.2). Surface: Concrete or asphalt pad required. Off-limits areas: Easements, fire lanes, ROW, required parking. Residential temp dumpsters: Max 30 days, 2 allowances/year (§ 108.3).

Placing or operating an outdoor receptacle without Neighborhood and Inspection Services approval, or in violation of the screening and placement standards, is unlawful under Section 108.5.1(a) and subject to the citywide Section 1-15 general penalty, up to $2,000 per day for violations tied to zoning, fire safety, or public health and sanitation, or up to $500 per day for other Code violations, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense.

Compared to other cities, Lewisville takes a harder line on dumpster rules. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Recycling Requirements

Lewisville requires residential customers to sort recyclables into a city-owned 64-gallon cart, set it curbside by 7:00 a.m. on collection day, and keep it exclusively for approved recyclable materials. Scavenging or damaging city recycling carts is a separate offense.

Key details: Recycling cart size: City-owned 64-gallon cart. Set-out deadline: 7:00 a.m. on collection day. Set-out window: 24 hrs before to 24 hrs after. Cart contents rule: Only acceptable recyclable materials. Governing sections: City Code §§ 12-2, 12-3, 12-23, 12-24.

Damaging a city-owned recycling cart is an offense under § 12-24(e). Scavenging, pilfering, or scattering the contents of a recycling container, or dumping waste into someone else's recycling cart without consent, is prohibited under § 12-3(g)-(h). General Chapter 12 violations are punished under the citywide general penalty, § 1-15, fined up to $2,000 for public health/sanitation offenses, with each day a separate offense.

Collection Schedule

Lewisville ties trash and recycling service to your water account: Sec. 12-21 requires residents to establish solid waste service at the same time they open water service and pay in full alongside water and sewer bills, no partial payments allowed. Sec. 12-23 sets collection windows: carts must be curbside by 7:00 a.m. on your collection day and can't sit out more than 24 hours before or after pickup.

Key details: Service start: Same time as water account opens, Sec. 12-21. Payment rule: Full payment with water/sewer bill, no partial pay. Setout deadline: 7:00 a.m. on collection day. Setout window: Max 24 hrs before, 24 hrs after pickup. Missed pickup: Report directly to franchisee, not city.

Chapter 12 falls under Sec. 1-15's general penalty for rules governing "public health and sanitation": a fine of up to $2,000 per offense, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense. Residents who don't establish mandatory service under Sec. 12-21, or who set carts out outside the 24-hour setout window under Sec. 12-23, are in violation of the Code and subject to that fine schedule.

Bulk Item Disposal

Lewisville provides monthly bulk waste pickup for residential customers at no additional charge through Community Waste Disposal. Residents may place up to eight cubic yards of bulk items at the curb on their scheduled bulk collection week, including furniture, mattresses, appliances with doors removed, carpet, and lumber. Prohibited items include construction debris exceeding two cubic yards, hazardous waste, tires, and electronics. The city also operates the Citizens Collection Station at 1100 S. Kealy Avenue for self-haul disposal, and hosts seasonal cleanup events offering additional options for electronics and household hazardous waste disposal.

Key details: Frequency: Monthly -- one scheduled week. Volume Limit: 8 cubic yards per pickup. Cost: Included in service fee. Collection Station: 1100 S. Kealy Avenue. Solid Waste Dept: (972) 219-3458.

Placing bulk items outside the scheduled collection window may result in a code enforcement notice for visible accumulation of debris. Items left at the curb for more than one week before the scheduled bulk pickup are subject to nuisance citations. Illegal dumping carries fines up to $2,000 under city ordinance and up to $4,000 under Texas Health and Safety Code Section 365.012.

Lewisville is more permissive than most cities when it comes to bulk item disposal. That said, there are still limits.

Pickup Rules & Schedules

Lewisville provides weekly curbside trash and recycling collection for residential properties through its contracted hauler, Community Waste Disposal, under Code of Ordinances Chapter 58 (Solid Waste). Trash is collected once per week and single-stream recycling is collected every other week on the same day, with collection days assigned by neighborhood zone. Each residential address receives one 96-gallon trash cart and one 96-gallon recycling cart as part of standard service. Carts must be placed at the curb by 7 AM on collection day with the lid facing the street and at least three feet of clearance from obstructions. Holiday schedules typically shift pickup by one day for the remainder of the affected week.

Key details: Trash Collection: Weekly -- one day per zone. Recycling Collection: Every other week. Cart Size: 96-gallon trash and recycling. Placement Time: By 7 AM on collection day. Solid Waste Dept: (972) 219-3458.

Placing trash out before 6 PM the evening before collection or leaving carts at the curb past midnight on collection day may result in a code enforcement warning. Contaminating recycling loads with non-accepted materials may result in the cart being tagged and left uncollected. Persistent contamination may lead to loss of recycling service for the address.

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

Bin Placement Rules

Lewisville caps each residential setout at what fits in a standard one-ton pickup bed, limits individual bundles to 50 pounds, and requires containers to sit at the curb or alley edge without blocking traffic sightlines. Bulky items that held Freon or PCBs need a certified technician's tag before pickup, and animal carcasses can never go in a cart; residents must call Animal Control instead.

Key details: Bulk setout limit: One standard pickup-truck bed per day. Bundle weight cap: 50 pounds per bundle. Brush size limit: 4 ft long, 4 in diameter, 50 lb. Container weight cap: 50 pounds when filled. Container placement: Curb or alley edge, sightlines unobstructed.

Chapter 12 falls under Sec. 1-15's general penalty for rules governing "public health and sanitation, including dumping of refuse": a fine of up to $2,000 per offense, with each day a violation continues charged as a separate offense. Damaging a city-owned solid waste or recycling container is a separate offense under Sec. 12-24(e), and each unlawful setout of hazardous, medical, or nonresidential waste under Sec. 12-22 can be cited independently.

Yard Waste Collection

Lewisville requires brush and yard waste bundles to be cut, tied and set at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on collection day, with a hard four-foot length and 50-pound weight cap per bundle under City Code Section 12-22(e). Stumps, root balls and treated wood cannot go out for pickup at all.

Key details: Bundle length limit: 4 feet maximum. Bundle weight limit: 50 pounds maximum. Brush diameter limit: 4 inches maximum. Setout deadline: 7:00 a.m. on collection day. Excluded material: Stumps, root balls, treated wood.

Setting out oversized or unbundled brush, or yard waste hauled in from another property, is enforced under Chapter 12's setout and prohibition rules; the franchisee can refuse the pickup, and unresolved violations are prosecuted under the Code's general penalty, Section 1-15, which allows a fine up to $2,000 for sanitation violations, with each day of a continuing violation counted as a separate offense.

Illegal Dumping

Lewisville makes it unlawful to sweep, deposit or scatter trash on any street, sidewalk or public park, and separately bans dumping litter on private lots, under Sec. 9-81 and 9-82. Because dumping refuse is one of the Code's named sanitation offenses, violators face fines up to $2,000.00 per offense instead of the usual $500 cap.

Key details: Public litter section: Sec. 9-81, Chapter 9 Article III. Private litter section: Sec. 9-82, Chapter 9 Article III. Max fine: $2,000 per offense (sanitation penalty tier). Continuing offense: Each day counts as a new violation. Origin: Code 1990 §§ 8-3-3, 8-3-4.

Because littering and dumping fall within the Code's sanitation category, Sec. 1-15(a) authorizes a fine up to $2,000.00 per offense rather than the standard $500.00 cap, and each day trash remains is a separate offense. Lewisville police and code enforcement officers can cite a property owner for private-lot dumping under Sec. 9-82 even if someone else deposited the litter.

Compared to other cities, Lewisville takes a harder line on illegal dumping. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

The Bottom Line

Lewisville'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 Lewisville is broadly strict or permissive.

This guide is based on Lewisville's current municipal code. Local rules can and do change, so check the individual ordinance pages for the latest details, penalties, and FAQs.