Auburn, WA Property Maintenance: Trash Bin Storage (2026)

Auburn City Code 8.08.100 requires residential and commercial garbage, recycling, and yard waste containers to be removed from the curb and returned to an appropriate storage location within a reasonable time after collection service on collection day. As a practical matter, this means cans should be stored at the side or rear of the house, behind a fence or landscape screen, or inside a garage or shed so they are not visible from the public right-of-way between collection days. For multifamily properties, dumpsters and carts are typically required to be screened by a solid enclosure under the site-plan approval for the building, consistent with ACC Title 18 zoning standards. Carts left at the curb for multiple days or stored in the front yard in plain view can be cited as a property-maintenance violation and as a solid-waste-code violation. Auburn Code Enforcement at 253-931-3030 investigates complaints and typically issues a written courtesy notice and a correction deadline before escalating to civil infractions. HOAs in Auburn often have stricter cart-storage rules (such as requiring full screening) that are enforceable as private covenants on top of the city code. Containers must be kept clean, closed when possible, and cannot leak liquids onto the sidewalk or street.