King County, WA Property Maintenance: Trash Bin Storage (2026)

King County Code 21A.18 (Development Standards) addresses outdoor storage in residential zones, including garbage and recycling bins. On non-collection days, carts should be stored where they are not readily visible from public rights of way or adjoining properties. Acceptable screening methods include placing carts behind a solid fence or wall at least as tall as the bin, in a side yard not visible from the street, behind landscaping that provides full visual screening, or inside a garage, carport, or enclosure. Multifamily properties must have enclosed and screened dumpster areas with gates that remain closed, per site development standards. Bins must also be kept in sanitary condition: sealed to prevent access by pests, rinsed periodically to prevent odor, and not allowed to overflow. Under KCC 13.04 (Public Nuisance) and Title 23 (Code Enforcement), overflowing or foul-smelling trash storage can be enforced as a public nuisance. In areas where bears or raccoons are active (rural eastern King County, Snoqualmie Valley, Vashon Island), the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife recommends bear-resistant containers or storing bins inside a structure between pickups. Residents who attract wildlife through improperly stored garbage may be cited and, in repeat cases, face the loss of animals they inadvertently feed (bears can be euthanized after repeated human-caused conflict).