Flower Mound, TX Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)

Under Chapter 58 of the Flower Mound Code of Ordinances, residents must follow specific bin placement guidelines to ensure efficient curbside collection and maintain neighborhood aesthetics. Carts must be placed within 3 feet of the curb edge with the cart opening facing the street and the handle facing the house. This orientation is critical because the franchise hauler uses automated side-loading trucks equipped with a mechanical arm that grips the cart from the street side and lifts it over the truck body to empty the contents. Carts placed with the wrong orientation or too far from the curb may be skipped by the automated system. Lids must be fully closed at the time of placement. Containers that are overflowing or have their lids propped open by excess material may not be serviced and create a litter hazard in windy conditions. Each cart should be separated by at least 3 feet from adjacent carts, mailbox posts, utility poles, parked vehicles, street trees, and fire hydrants to provide adequate clearance for the mechanical arm. Containers must not block sidewalks, pedestrian pathways, wheelchair ramps, or ADA-accessible routes. Additional bags or containers placed alongside the primary cart must not extend into the roadway or create an obstruction for passing vehicles and cyclists. Placement is allowed starting at 6 PM the evening before the scheduled collection day. All containers must be retrieved from the curb and returned to a storage location behind the front building line by midnight on collection day. The front building line is defined as the plane of the front facade of the house, meaning containers should be stored at or behind the point where the front wall of the home meets the side yard. Acceptable storage locations include side yards behind privacy fencing, garage interiors, and dedicated trash enclosure structures. Carts stored in front yards, on driveways in front of the garage door, or on the front porch between collection days are subject to code compliance citation. Code compliance officers actively patrol for containers left at the curb past the midnight deadline, with enforcement particularly vigorous in HOA communities like Bridlewood, Wellington, and Lakeside where residents frequently submit complaints about non-compliant neighbors. Improperly placed carts that are skipped by the automated truck require the homeowner to contact the hauler to request a return trip, which may not occur until the following business day.