Charlottesville, VA Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Downtown street ban
- No bins on street 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
- Set-out window (other zones)
- 6 p.m. night before to 7 a.m.
- Uptown removal deadline
- Noon on collection day
- Other zones removal
- Within 12 hours after collection
- Enforcement
- Class 1 misdemeanor, Chapter 26
Summary
Where and when a Charlottesville household can set out trash depends on the zone: Downtown-area carts can never sit on a street from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., while Uptown and other customers must put bins out between 6 p.m. the night before and 7 a.m. on collection day and pull empty cans back by noon.
(2)It shall be unlawful for wheeled carts, receptacles, bags and bins to be placed on any street from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ... (b)Customers located in the Uptown Trash Collection Area shall be subject to the following collection procedures: ... (2)Such garbage and refuse shall be so placed for collection not earlier than 6:00 p.m. on the day preceding the scheduled collection for such location nor later than 7:00 a.m. of the day of scheduled collection.(3)Emptied receptacles, except those installed below the ground, shall be removed by the owner thereof from the sidewalk or roadway and taken behind the building setback line no later than 12:00 pm (noon) the day of collection.
Full Breakdown
City Code § 26-30 splits curbside placement rules by collection zone. , and restaurants in that zone must use closed, nonleaking containers marked with their name and address. on collection day. After collection, Uptown customers must pull their emptied receptacles back off the sidewalk or roadway by noon the day of collection, while customers elsewhere have twelve hours after collection to do the same; only receptacles installed below ground are exempt from that removal duty. The Director of Public Works can add further placement regulations under § 26-34 to supplement these rules.
Violations & Fines
Setting out carts outside the permitted evening-before-to-morning-of window, blocking a Downtown street with bins during the 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ban, or failing to remove an emptied receptacle from the sidewalk by the § 26-30 deadline is a violation of Chapter 26 and, like other offenses in that chapter, a Class 1 misdemeanor under § 26-2.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time can I put my trash cart out in Charlottesville?
When do I have to bring my empty trash can back in?
Can I leave my trash bin on the street downtown all day?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Charlottesville
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