Trash & Recycling in Ocala, FL (2026)
9 verified trash & recycling rules for Ocala, Florida, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
In the City of Ocala, Code of Ordinances § 54-38(a) makes every residential customer pick one collection plan, curbside or rear-door, and stick with it for at least six months. Rear-door Plan 2 service has been closed to new customers and was fully discontinued citywide effective March 1, 2007, leaving curbside Plan 1 as the standard service for nearly all households.
Ocala Residential Trash Collection Plan Rules
Some RestrictionsOcala Code of Ordinances § 54-38
(a)Selection of plan. A residential customer shall place its municipal solid waste in accordance with one of the following plans. The customer shall select one of these plans. Once selected, a choice shall remain unchanged for a minimum of six months. Any person who is physically unable to place a residential municipal solid waste container or refuse cart at the curb shall be entitled to have t...
Bin Placement Rules
In the City of Ocala, Code of Ordinances § 54-35(j) sets the curbside window for trash and recycling containers: no earlier than 7:00 p.m. the evening before collection, and removed by 7:00 a.m. the morning after. Outside that window containers must go back to a screened spot no closer to the street than the building line, and violating the section costs $25.00 plus abatement.
Ocala Curbside Trash Container Timing Rules
Some RestrictionsOcala Code of Ordinances § 54-35
(j)Containers shall be placed out for collection no earlier than 7:00 p.m. on the evening preceding the collection day and must be removed by 7:00 a.m. of the day following the collection day. After collection, all containers, whether city or privately owned, on the property shall be returned to a secure location on the property. With the exception of being stored within a carport or garage, co...
Bulk Item Disposal
In the City of Ocala, discarded refrigerators, freezers, ranges, washers, dryers, water heaters and dishwashers count as 'white goods' under Code of Ordinances § 54-1 and get separate curbside pickup for a fee under § 54-38(f). Doors must come off airtight units, stand-up appliances must lie flat, and any scrap metal piece must be cut or bent to no more than six feet.
Ocala White Goods and Appliance Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsOcala Code of Ordinances §§ 54-1, 54-38
White goods means inoperative and discarded refrigerators, freezers, ranges, clothes washers and dryers, water heaters, dishwashers and other similar domestic and commercial large appliances of any color. ... (f)White goods. White goods shall be collected for a fee as established by separate resolution. All airtight units shall have the doors removed before being placed for collection separatel...
Recycling Requirements
Once recyclable materials go into a city-provided recycling container in Ocala, they become city property under Sec. 54-33(e), and no one may remove or convey them without written consent. Sec. 54-37(h) requires residents to empty and rinse containers and deposit only what the city's recycling program accepts, with Public Works enforcing compliance.
Ocala Curbside Recycling Requirements
Some RestrictionsOcala Code of Ordinances §§ 54-33(e), 54-37(h)
All recyclable commodities for which the city has a contract may be placed in a recycling container. Immediately upon deposit of such commodities into such container, those items become the property of the city. No person may remove, alter, replace, detract from or convey such items without the express written consent of the city. Such commodities shall be removed, transported and disposed of b...
Illegal Dumping
Dumping litter on any Ocala street, right-of-way, or public land outside a lawful container violates City Code § 34-201(b), and police, code enforcement, and park ranger officers can cite violators under § 34-201(h). Civil penalties escalate from $150 for a first conviction to $300 for a second and $500 for a third or later conviction under § 34-201(k)(1).
Ocala Illegal Dumping Penalties
Heavy RestrictionsOcala Code of Ordinances § 34-201(k)
(b)No person shall dump litter in any manner or amount:(1)In or on any public highway, road, street, alley, or thoroughfare, including any portion of the right-of-way thereof, or any other public lands, except in containers lawfully provided therefor. ... (k)Any person who violates the provisions of this section shall be cited as follows:(1)Civil penalties: Any person who litters in violation o...
Yard Waste Collection
The City of Ocala requires yard waste to be separated from other municipal solid waste and set out at curbside or the alleyway, clear of trees, fences and meters. Sec. 54-37 caps tree limbs and branches at four-foot lengths and limits curbside containers to 20 per collection day at 50 pounds each, administered by the Public Works Department.
Ocala Yard Waste Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsOcala Code of Ordinances § 54-37(c), (f)
In residential areas, no municipal solid waste shall be placed on any street or sidewalk. Except as set forth in this chapter, municipal solid waste shall be placed in municipal solid waste containers. Yard waste shall be separated from all other municipal solid waste and placed in containers or stacked neatly in one consolidated pile at curbside or the alleyway, away from trees, fences, meters...
Dumpster Rules
In the City of Ocala, dumpsters may only sit where the city approves under Code of Ordinances § 54-35, and moving a city-provided dumpster without consent is unlawful. New or renovated commercial and multifamily sites must build a dumpster pad to city specifications under § 54-36, and that pad may hold only the city-owned dumpster, never a private container or grease bin.
Ocala Dumpster Placement and Pad Rules
Some RestrictionsOcala Code of Ordinances §§ 54-35, 54-36
(e)Use of dumpsters. All places of business shall be required to use dumpsters furnished or approved by the city if the volume of the municipal solid waste ... of such place of business is sufficient to require such use.(f)Location of dumpsters. It shall be unlawful to place a dumpster at a location which is not approved by the city, and it shall be unlawful for any person or owner to remove, o...
Collection Schedule
In the City of Ocala, all solid waste must be collected by the city's sanitation division or by a private hauler holding a written city permit under Code of Ordinances § 54-33; unpermitted haulers dumping, burying or hauling waste on city streets are breaking the law. Containers must sit ready for pickup on the scheduled day between 4:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., and a missed or rerouted pickup carries a separate fee.
Ocala Trash Collection Hours and Permit Rules
Some RestrictionsOcala Code of Ordinances §§ 54-1, 54-33
Director means the director of the public works department. ... (a)Authorized collectors. All municipal solid waste accumulated in the city shall be collected, conveyed and disposed of by the city or a permitted private hauler approved by the director for a specific type of collection at a specific location. No person shall collect, convey over any of the streets or alleys of the city, dump, bu...
Recycling Rules
The City of Ocala requires residents and businesses to place recyclable commodities only in the recycling containers or dumpsters the city itself assigns, under Code of Ordinances Section 54-37, and bars using any other bin without the city manager's permission. Before setting materials out, residents must strip lids and caps, rinse containers clean of food or drink residue, and recycle only what the city requests.
Ocala Recycling Container and Prep Rules
Some RestrictionsOcala Code of Ordinances § 54-37
(a)At apartments and places of business where dumpsters or recycling containers are provided by the city, no municipal solid waste or recyclable commodities shall be placed in or collected from any location or container other than the dumpster or recycling container placed by the city, without permission of the city manager. ... (h)When preparing items for recycling, a person shall:(1)Remove an...
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County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Ocala city rules.
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