Columbia, MO Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Storage rule
- Adjacent to house except collection day
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor under § 16-31
- Liable parties
- Account holder and property owner
- Applies to
- Refuse and recycling carts
Summary
Outside of collection day, Columbia, Missouri residents must keep refuse and recycling carts stored right next to the house or an accessory structure, not left out on the property.
Except on the scheduled day of collection, it shall be unlawful to place or store a refuse and/or recycling cart or any other refuse and/or recycling storage container outdoors at any location on the premises which is not immediately adjacent to the residential structure or any accessory structure on the property.(c)Information obtained from waste disposed or deposited in violation of this section shall establish a rebuttable presumption that the person so identified committed a violation.(d)The person(s) in whose name the refuse account is maintained and the owners of record of the property on which the refuse, garbage, refuse cart or yard waste is placed or allowed to remain shall be prima facie responsible for its placement and maintenance in violation hereof.(e)A violation of this subsection is a misdemeanor as designated by this code and punishable under section 16-31 hereof. (Ord. No. 13056 § 1, 8-19-91; Ord. No. 13055 § 1, 8-19-91; Ord. No. 15641, § 1, 6-15-98; Ord. No. 16572, § 1, 9-5-00; Ord. No. 20061, § 1, 9-15-08; Ord. No. 20341, § 1, 7-20-09; Ord. No. 22578, § 4, 9-21-15; Ord. No. 23683, § 2, 11-5-18; Ord. No. 25291, § 1, 3-20-23; Ord. No. 25586, § 1, 2-19-24)
Editor's note— Section 1 of Ord. No. 12820, adopted Dec. 10, 1990, added a new § 22-158 and renumbered existing §§ 22-158—22-165 as §§ 22-159—22-166.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 138).
Full Breakdown
Columbia Code of Ordinances § 22-158(b)(11) makes it unlawful, except on the scheduled collection day, to place or store a refuse or recycling cart or other storage container outdoors anywhere on the property that is not immediately adjacent to the residential structure or an accessory structure. Section 22-159(e)(2)a reinforces this by requiring refuse carts to be stored on private property generally. The rule targets carts left sitting in yards, driveways, or near the street between pickups. It applies inside Columbia city limits in Boone County; the utility account holder and the property owner are both responsible for keeping the cart properly stored under § 22-158(d).
Violations & Fines
Storing a cart away from the house on a non-collection day is a misdemeanor under § 22-158(e), punishable under § 16-31; both the utility account holder and the property owner are prima facie responsible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep my Columbia trash cart by the curb all week?
Who gets cited if a cart sits out too long?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Columbia
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