Tuolumne County, CA Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)

Container placement in unincorporated Tuolumne County flows from the Title 7 service definitions rather than a standalone bin-placement ordinance. Section 7.08.070 defines "curb service" as "collection of waste containers placed by the residential customer adjacent to a street," while Section 7.08.340 defines "yard service" as "collection of waste containers placed at a location mutually agreed to by the residential customer and franchisee" that is "not more than one hundred feet from a street" - so the 100-foot figure is the outer limit for negotiated yard pickup, not a mandatory setout distance for curbside cans. The County Code distinguishes a "waste container" (7.08.330) for solid waste from a "recycling container" (7.08.250) supplied by or acceptable to the hauler for source-separated recyclables. The County does not publish a specific rule on how many feet from the curb a can must sit, what time it must be set out or brought in, or how far apart cans must be spaced - those operational details are set by each franchised hauler. What the County does enforce is the nuisance angle: under Chapter 1.10, containers that overflow or where garbage is allowed to accumulate can be abated as blight, and bear-resistant or wildlife-resistant storage, while encouraged in high-country and bear-prone areas, is handled through hauler programs and CalRecycle guidance rather than a confirmed countywide bin-placement ordinance.