Cherokee County, GA Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Container standard
- Rat-proof, insect-proof, watertight, tight-fitting lid
- Bulk containers
- Must sit on a concrete platform to limit spillage
- 1-2 unit dwellings
- Occupant furnishes their own container
- 3+ unit dwellings
- Owner must supply the refuse containers
- Plastic bags
- Liners only, not a stand-alone container
- Enforcement
- County Marshal's Office
Summary
Cherokee County's Code of Ordinances requires every dwelling's garbage cans to be rat-proofed, insect-proofed, watertight and fitted with tight-fitting covers under § 14-98, and any bulk storage container must sit on a concrete platform built to keep spillage off adjacent areas. The code ties responsibility to the size of the building.
Every occupant of a dwelling or dwelling unit shall store and dispose of all his/her garbage, refuse, and any other organic waste which might provide food for insects and/or rodents in a clean, sanitary and safe manner. All garbage cans and refuse containers shall be rat-proofed, insect-proofed, watertight, structurally strong to withstand handling stress, easily filled, emptied and cleaned; shall be provided with tight-fitting covers or similar closures; and shall be maintained at all times in a clean sanitary condition. Plastic bags may be used as garbage and refuse container liners, but shall not be used without the container for on-site storage of garbage or refuse... Bulk storage containers which are used for the storage of garbage, refuse, and/or other putrescible waste shall be placed on concrete platforms which are constructed to minimize spillage onto the adjacent areas.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 39 | Zoning: Supplement 35).
Full Breakdown
Section 14-98, in the property-maintenance article enforced by the County Marshal's Office, spells out what every owner and occupant of a dwelling must do with garbage and refuse. Subsection (4) requires garbage cans and refuse containers to be rat-proofed, insect-proofed, watertight, structurally strong, and fitted with tight-fitting covers or similar closures, kept clean and sanitary at all times; plastic bags are allowed only as liners inside an approved container, never as a stand-alone storage method, and the marshal may specifically approve other container types. Subsection (5) requires any bulk storage container used for garbage, refuse or other putrescible waste to sit on a concrete platform built to minimize spillage onto adjacent areas.
Responsibility shifts with occupancy: subsection (7) puts the duty to supply containers on the owner of any dwelling with three or more units, while occupants of single- and two-family dwellings must furnish their own. This differs from the county's separate definition of 'litter receptacle' in § 14-35, which expressly excludes garbage or waste containers serving single-family or multifamily residences, keeping the public litter-can standards of division 5 out of a resident's own trash can.
Violations & Fines
Violations of § 14-98 fall under the article-wide penalty in § 14-34: a warning citation on a first offense, then a citation to Cherokee County Magistrate Court on a repeat violation. A conviction is a criminal misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $1,000.00, and each day of noncompliance counts as its own separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my trash can need a lid in Cherokee County?
Who has to provide dumpsters at an apartment complex?
Can I just use a trash bag instead of a can?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cherokee County
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