Albemarle County, VA Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- County Code § 13-302(B)
- Container standard
- Watertight, kept covered until collected
- First-violation civil penalty
- $50.00
- 12-month penalty cap
- $3,000.00
- Third violation in 24 months
- Class 3 misdemeanor, up to $500 fine
- Enforcing authority
- Board of Supervisors / county executive
Summary
County Code § 13-302 requires every owner or occupant of property in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville to keep refuse in personally or privately owned watertight containers that stay covered until the trash is collected or hauled to a sanitary landfill.
Sec. 13-302 - Accumulation, storage and removal of refuse on private property. The following regulations shall apply to the accumulation, storage and removal of refuse and other dangerous substances on private property: A.No owner or occupant of any property in the county shall store, accumulate, or dump refuse or other substances that might endanger the health or safety of other residents of the County except as otherwise provided by law. The storage, accumulation, or dumping of refuse or other substances that might endanger the health or safety of others is declared a nuisance.B.All refuse must be placed in personally owned or privately owned watertight containers and be kept covered until transported to a public sanitary landfill or until taken from the property by trash or garbage collectors or otherwise disposed of as provided by law.
Full Breakdown
County Code § 13-302 sets the county's storage rule for household refuse. Subsection A first declares it a nuisance for any owner or occupant to store, accumulate, or dump refuse or other substances that might endanger the health or safety of other residents. Subsection B then sets the container standard: all refuse must be placed in personally owned or privately owned watertight containers and kept covered until it is transported to a public sanitary landfill or picked up by a trash or garbage collector. If a property falls out of compliance, subsection C lets the Board of Supervisors, acting through the county executive or a designee, order the owner or occupant in writing, delivered in person or by certified mail, to remove refuse that endangers health or safety.
Under subsection D, if that written order is ignored, the county may have the refuse removed by its own crews or a contractor and charge the cost to the property owner, collectible as taxes are collected and secured by a lien on the property; in an emergency the county may abate the condition immediately without prior notice. 00 total in any 12-month period. A third civil penalty within 24 months converts the offense to a class 3 misdemeanor instead.
Violations & Fines
Keeping refuse outside a watertight, covered container is a civil violation of County Code § 13-302(E): $50.00 for a first violation, $200.00 for a later, unrelated violation within 12 months, capped at $3,000.00 in any 12-month period, with each day of a continuing violation counted separately. A third civil penalty within 24 months becomes a class 3 misdemeanor, punishable by a fine up to $500.00 under § 1-302(C).
Frequently Asked Questions
How must I store my trash cans in Albemarle County?
What is the fine for uncovered trash containers?
Can the county remove trash from my property and bill me?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Albemarle County
Compare Albemarle County to another location·View the Virginia trash & recycling overview
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