Chesapeake, VA Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)

Sec. 62-57 requires the city to furnish one free automated container per dwelling unit for qualifying single-family, duplex, triplex, quadraplex and townhouse residences where automated service is available, and residents may not set out more than three automated containers for garbage or recycling combined. Where automated service isn't available, Sec. 62-57(b) requires metal or plastic receptacles with two handles and tight-fitting, animal-proof covers, capped at 35 gallons and 60 pounds. Sec. 62-58(a) sets the placement rule: containers, and bagged or bundled yard waste, go at the curbline or edge of the public street in front of the premises generating the waste, unless the director of public works prescribes another location.

Automated containers must sit at least three feet from any obstruction, such as another cart, a mailbox or a vehicle. Bundled yard waste is capped at four feet wide by four feet high by six feet long per collection. When not set out, containers must be stored in a carport, an enclosed building, or behind the nearest part of the residence to the street; if that's impractical, front-yard storage is allowed only if screened by landscaping or an approved enclosure, or, for townhouse units without garage or side-yard access, placed as close to the front of the dwelling as possible. Residents with a qualifying disability may request a placement variance from the director of public works.