Dearborn, MI Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Earliest set-out
- 5pm day before collection
- Latest set-out
- 7am on collection day
- Removal deadline
- Midnight of collection day
- Street placement
- Never in the public street
- First offense
- $100 civil infraction
Summary
Dearborn residents may not set refuse or recycling carts at the curb before 5 p.m. the day ahead of pickup, must have them out by 7 a.m. on collection day, and must pull carts back in by midnight.
No refuse or recycle carts shall be placed in the public street. Such containers shall be placed at that location prior to 7:00 a.m. on the day scheduled for collection from the premises but in no case shall any containers be placed on the easement or edge of the alley, as the case may be, prior to 5:00 p.m. of the day preceding the scheduled collection day. Containers must be removed from the easement or edge of the alley prior to midnight on the scheduled collection day. Such containers shall be placed in the manner indicated on the refuse or recycle cart. The department of public works shall have the authority to designate the location of refuse and recycle carts.
(b) An individual who violates this section will be issued one written warning. Thereafter, an individual who violates this section is responsible for a civil infraction or misdemeanor as follows:
(1) For the first offense, the individual is responsible for a civil infraction and shall be fined $100.00.
(2) For a second or subsequent offense committed within one year from the date of a previous conviction, the individual is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined $300.00. (Ord. No. 90-495, § 5, 6-19-90; Ord. No. 03-939, 1-21-03; Ord. No. 10-1288, 8- 16-10) Sec. 16-6a. - Reserved. Editor's note— Ord. No. 1433, adopted August 24, 2014, provided: "This emergency ordinance shall be automatically repealed on the 61 st day after its
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-07: Code: Updated through: July 22, 2026 | Zoning: Updated through: July 22, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 16-6(a) sets the curbside window: containers go on the grass easement in front of the property, or the alley edge for through-alley lots, no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before collection and no later than 7 a.m. on collection day itself. Carts may never sit in the public street. Everything must come back off the easement or alley edge before midnight of the scheduled collection day, and the department of public works has authority to designate exactly where carts belong on each site.
Violations & Fines
A first violation draws a written warning, then a $100 civil infraction; a second violation within a year is a misdemeanor with a $300 fine (§16-6(b)).
Frequently Asked Questions
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When do I have to bring my empty cart back in?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dearborn
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Bin Placement Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wayne County handle bin placement rules.