Trash & Recycling in Commerce City, CO (2026)
6 verified trash & recycling rules for Commerce City, Colorado, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Commerce City requires trash removal at intervals no longer than thirty days, under Municipal Code Section 6-2003(a). Between pickups, waste must sit in watertight, corrosion-resistant containers with tight-fitting lids. Section 6-2003(b) adds curb timing for residential carts: out no earlier than the evening before collection, and back in storage within twenty-four hours after the truck comes.
Trash Pickup Rules in Commerce City
Some RestrictionsCommerce City Revised Municipal Code § 6-2003(a), (b)
(a)Removal. The owner or occupant of any property located within the city shall provide for the removal of all trash, garbage or waste of any kind from the property at regular intervals. Such intervals shall be as often as necessary to prevent the creation of a public heath nuisance, but in no event shall the interval between collections exceed thirty (30) days. Between collections, all trash, ...
Bin Placement Rules
Commerce City requires residential trash containers to stay out of sight between collections: Sec. 6-2003(b) of the nuisance chapter says they must sit behind a privacy fence, inside a garage or enclosed building, or be screened by landscaping or a dumpster enclosure. Containers may only reach the curb the evening before or morning of pickup and must return to storage within twenty-four hours after collection.
Commerce City Trash Bin Placement and Screening Rules
Some RestrictionsCommerce City Revised Municipal Code § 6-2003(b)
(b)Trash container storage. Except to facilitate collection, trash containers in residential districts shall be placed behind a privacy fence, in a garage or other completely enclosed building or otherwise fully screened from public view by landscaping or a dumpster enclosure. Trash containers/dumpsters in commercial districts shall be screened by a dumpster enclosure or as stipulated on a site...
Illegal Dumping
Commerce City bans dumping garbage, trash or waste of any kind on someone else's property, including in, on, under or around another person's trash container, under Municipal Code Section 6-2003(c). Waste may go into another owner's container only with that owner's written permission. Violators face prosecution as a civil infraction in Commerce City Municipal Court, and the city may abate the dumped material and bill the responsible party for the cleanup cost.
Illegal Dumping Rules in Commerce City
Some RestrictionsCommerce City Revised Municipal Code § 6-2003(c)
(c)Improper dumping. It shall be unlawful for any person to put, place or dump garbage, trash, or waste of any kind on the property of another, including in, on, under or around the trash container of another; provided, however, that a person may place garbage, trash or waste in the trash container of another when written permission for such use is granted by the owner or occupant of the proper...
Yard Waste Collection
Commerce City bars property owners from letting cut brush sit on their land for more than fourteen days, under Revised Municipal Code § 6-2012(b)(4). "Brush" covers fallen branches over two inches thick and three feet long, plus wood stacks beyond two neatly stacked cords of firewood. Code enforcement treats a violation as a civil infraction, and the city can abate and bill the owner if the pile is not cleared.
Commerce City Brush and Yard Waste Limit
Some RestrictionsCommerce City Revised Municipal Code § 6-2012(a)(1), (b)(4)
(1)Brush means the cuttings from trees and/or bushes and shall include fallen branches in excess of two (2) inches thick at the widest point and three (3) feet in length and all stacks of wood, excluding lumber, but including firewood in excess of two (2) neatly stacked cords. ( ... 4)Brush. ... It shall be unlawful for the owner or occupant of any property to permit brush to remain upon such e...
Collection Schedule
Commerce City does not run a single city-wide pickup day; instead Sec. 6-2003(a) puts the removal duty on the property owner or occupant, who must arrange trash, garbage and waste collection often enough to prevent a public health nuisance and, in any case, no less often than every thirty days. Between hauls, waste must sit in watertight, corrosion-resistant containers with tight-fitting lids.
Commerce City Mandatory Trash Removal Every 30 Days
Some RestrictionsCommerce City Revised Municipal Code § 6-2003(a)
(a)Removal. The owner or occupant of any property located within the city shall provide for the removal of all trash, garbage or waste of any kind from the property at regular intervals. Such intervals shall be as often as necessary to prevent the creation of a public heath nuisance, but in no event shall the interval between collections exceed thirty (30) days. Between collections, all trash, ...
Recycling Rules
Commerce City's Land Development Code regulates where recycling drop-off and material-recovery facilities can operate rather than mandating curbside recycling. Small collection areas are capped at 300 square feet, set back at least 10 feet from rights-of-way, and, outside multifamily developments, kept at least 150 feet from any residential zoning under section 21-5256.
Recycling Facility Siting Rules
Some RestrictionsCommerce City Land Development Code § 21-5256(1)
(1)Small Recycling Collection Areas. Small recycling collection areas located within multifamily developments, commercial, or industrial zoning districts shall comply with the following standards. The facility shall be no larger than 300 square feet and shall occupy no more than 5 parking spaces, excluding space that will be periodically needed for removal of materials or exchange of containers...
Looking for Adams County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Commerce City city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Adams County →