Trash & Recycling in Lake County, CA (2026)
6 rules for unincorporated Lake County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Boarding houses, restaurants, hotels, apartments and dwellings that subscribe to commercial garbage service in unincorporated Lake County must keep a water-tight metallic can or metal-lined box with a tight-fitting cover, capped at 30 gallons and 50 pounds loaded, in a spot easily accessible to the garbage collector.
Lake County Garbage Can Requirements
Some RestrictionsLake County Code § 9-5.1
Every person, firm, or corporation in possession of or having charge or control of any boarding house, lodging house, restaurant, hotel, tavern, apartment house, eating house, dwelling house, flat, duplex or multiple dwelling and subscribing to a commercial garbage service authorized by the Board of Supervisors, shall provide or cause to be provided and kept as herein required, in a place easil...
Bin Placement Rules
For commercial and multi-family properties in unincorporated Lake County that qualify for a Refuse/Litter Control plan instead of a screened enclosure, the county's Community Development Department must approve the container location, its screening from public view, and the exact day and time containers can sit at the street before and after pickup.
Lake County Refuse Container Placement Rule
Some RestrictionsLake County Code § 9-7.3(d), 9-7.3(f)
The RLC plan shall specify the following: ... (d) The location and storage of the containers and proposed screening from public view. ... (f) The day and time refuse containers are placed at the street when service is provided, and the time they shall be removed from the street after pickup.
Illegal Dumping
Dumping refuse, garbage, junk, cans or rubbish on any public highway, right-of-way, camping place or public ground in unincorporated Lake County is a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and six months in the County Jail. A separate section bars dumping household garbage in county parks or on public beaches outside designated trash receptacles.
Lake County Illegal Dumping Penalties
Significant RestrictionsLake County Code § 9-1 (Sec. 9-1.1, 9-1.3)
It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to place or dispose of, or cause to be placed or disposed of, upon the right-of-way of any public highway, street or thoroughfare, or upon any camping place or public grounds, within the County of Lake, any refuse, garbage, junk, cans, bottles, rubbish, or other offensive, unsightly, putrescible or decaying matter of any kind whatsoever... Any pers...
Dumpster Rules
Every dumpster serving a commercial or industrial use, or a multi-family building with three or more units, in unincorporated Lake County must sit inside a screened enclosure at least 10 feet wide, 7 feet 6 inches deep and 6 feet high, on a 4-inch concrete slab, with a 12-foot access road and a 32-foot turnaround for the collection truck.
Lake County Commercial Dumpster Enclosure Rules
Some RestrictionsLake County Code § 9-6.1, 9-6.4(a)
All commercial/industrial refuse containers and dumpsters used for commercial, multi-family dwellings occupied by three (3) or more families, lodging or other residential care facilities with five (5) or more units on one parcel, or for industrial purposes shall be kept within an enclosure... A refuse container enclosure shall be not less than ten feet (10′) wide, seven and one-half feet (7′6″)...
Collection Schedule
Only a hauler under contract with the County of Lake may collect or dispose of another person's garbage in the unincorporated area. Property owners and businesses may still self-haul their own waste, or have grass, weed, or construction debris hauled by whoever was hired to do that work, without needing a county contract.
Lake County Garbage Collection Franchise Rule
Some RestrictionsLake County Code § 9-5.2
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to collect or dispose of garbage, other than their own, unless permission has been granted to said person, firm or corporation by duly executed contract with the County of Lake for that purpose.
Recycling Rules
Commercial and multi-family properties in unincorporated Lake County that use a Refuse/Litter Control plan in place of a screened dumpster enclosure must specify the type, size and number of recycling containers on the site, alongside refuse containers, before the county's Community Development Department will approve the plan.
Lake County Recycling Container Plan Rule
Some RestrictionsLake County Code § 9-7.3(b), 9-7.3(c)
The RLC plan shall specify the following: ... (b) The type and size of refuse and recycling containers. (c) The number of refuse and recycling containers to be used.
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