Trash & Recycling in Tulare County, CA (2026)
8 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Tulare County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Only the authorized County Franchise Hauler, or someone with the hauler's written authority and the Solid Waste Director's approval, may collect trash in a designated Tulare County service area; it is unlawful for anyone else to interfere with, remove or empty a resident's garbage can.
Tulare County Trash Can Interference Rules
Significant RestrictionsTulare County Ordinance Code § 4-03-1200
§ 4-03-1200. SOLID WASTE COLLECTION: PROHIBITIONS. Except as otherwise provided in this Chapter, it shall be unlawful for any person, except a Franchise Hauler, or a person acting with the written authority of a Franchise Hauler, in addition to the approval of the Solid Waste Director, to do any of the following: (a) Collect, store, transport or dispose of any Solid Waste in any designated Serv...
Bulk Item Disposal
Unincorporated Tulare County residents get large discarded items like furniture, mattresses and big appliances hauled away by calling their Franchise Hauler for an on-call bulk pickup, and the hauler also runs at least two drop-off Community Cleanups a year for the same materials.
Tulare County Bulk Item Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsTulare County Ordinance Code § 4-03-1147
§ 4-03-1147. ON-CALL BULK ITEM PICK-UP. Upon notice by a Customer, a Franchise Hauler shall schedule pick-up of Bulk Waste. Franchise Haulers shall make all reasonable efforts to Recycle the materials collected on-call for a rate to be established by the Board.
Recycling Requirements
Unincorporated Tulare County requires every single-family home to subscribe to the county's three-container collection service and sort recyclables into the Blue Container under Ordinance Code § 4-03-1635. Mixing garbage or organics into the recycling cart violates Article 13 and can trigger a contamination fee or a citation from the Solid Waste Department.
Tulare County Curbside Recycling Requirements
Some RestrictionsTulare County Ordinance Code § 4-03-1635(b)
(b) Shall participate in the County's Organic Waste collection service(s) by placing designated materials in designated containers as described below, and shall not place Prohibited Container Contaminants in collection containers... (1) A three- and three-plus-container collection service (Blue Container, Green Container, and Gray Container) (choose Option 1a or 1b). (A) Option 1a: Generator sh...
Mandatory Organics Recycling
State-mandated SB 1383 organics recycling is enforced locally in unincorporated Tulare County: every single-family generator must subscribe to the county's organic waste collection service and sort food scraps and yard waste into the Green Container under Ordinance Code § 4-03-1635. Skipping the subscription or contaminating the cart violates Article 13.
Tulare County Mandatory Organic Waste Recycling
Some RestrictionsTulare County Ordinance Code § 4-03-1635(a)
(a) Shall pay for and subscribe to County's Organic Waste collection services for all Organic Waste generated as described below, unless a waiver has been granted by the County. County shall have the right to review the number and size of a generator's containers to evaluate adequacy of capacity provided for each type of collection service for proper separation of materials and containment of m...
Illegal Dumping
Dumping or accumulating solid waste on any street, road or premises in unincorporated Tulare County is unlawful; the Public Health Officer can order it removed within five days, and violators face an infraction under the County's general penalty section.
Tulare County Illegal Dumping Rules
Some RestrictionsTulare County Ordinance Code § 4-03-1140
§ 4-03-1140. ACCUMULATION OF SOLID WASTE TO BE REMOVED. Whenever any Solid Waste has been thrown or deposited upon any street, road, or private or public premises, or has accumulated thereon, the Public Health Officer shall give written notice to the owner, tenant or person having charge or control of said premises, to remove from the premises the substances so deposited or accumulated. It shal...
Yard Waste Collection
Unincorporated Tulare County residents put grass clippings, leaves, prunings and other yard trimmings out for Franchise Hauler pickup either in the County's Green Container or, where offered, piled or bagged at the curb under the code's uncontainerized service, and branches over three inches thick count as bulk waste instead.
Tulare County Green Waste Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsTulare County Ordinance Code § 4-03-1005
"GREEN WASTE": means biodegradable materials including branches (less than three (3) inches in diameter), brush, cut flowers, dead plants, grass clippings, house plants, leaves, prunings, shrubs, weeds, wood (uncoated and untreated), wood chips, yard trimmings, Christmas trees (placed in Carts/Bins, with no stands, flocking, and/or decorations, and cut into two (2)-foot Sections), provided that...
Collection Schedule
Every occupied home or business in a designated unincorporated Tulare County service area must subscribe to regularly scheduled collection with the County's Franchise Hauler, a requirement that has applied to the valley-floor urban areas since January 1, 1997.
Tulare County Mandatory Trash Service Rule
Some RestrictionsTulare County Ordinance Code § 4-03-1150
§ 4-03-1150. REQUIRED SERVICE. Within any Service Area established under Article 5 of this Chapter and except as permitted in accordance with Section 4-03-1155 or Section 4-03-1165, the owner of each premises used as an occupied residence, place of business, or other building or place where persons reside, congregate or are employed, shall subscribe to and thereafter use regularly scheduled col...
Recycling Rules
Commercial businesses and multifamily properties of five or more units in unincorporated Tulare County must enroll in the county's three-container collection service under Ordinance Code § 4-03-1640, sorting recyclables into the Blue Container and organics into the Green Container. The Solid Waste Director sets minimum service levels and can raise them as needed.
Tulare County Commercial & Multifamily Recycling
Some RestrictionsTulare County Ordinance Code § 4-03-1640(a)-(b)
a) Commercial Generators responsible for Compliance. Each Commercial Generator, as defined in Section 4-03-1005, shall be responsible for ensuring and demonstrating its compliance with the requirements of this Chapter, including all multifamily dwellings of five units or more, and also including multifamily dwellings under five units that share Collection containers and services under one subsc...
Trash & Recycling by City in Tulare County
1 cities in Tulare County have their own trash & recycling rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Tulare County ordinances
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