Fort Smith carts must be placed at the curb (not in the street or on the sidewalk) by 7:00 a.m. on the resident's collection day with at least three feet of clearance on all sides so the mechanical truck arm can extend, lift, dump, and return. Carts cannot be blocked by vehicles, objects, mailboxes, fire hydrants, overhanging tree limbs, or low-hanging power lines. Lids must be fully closed; carts may not be overfilled and items may not be placed on top of the lid because the dump cycle would spill the loose material onto the right-of-way.
Fort Smith placement rules track the operational realities of automated and semi-automated refuse collection. The Department of Solid Waste Services runs side-loading and rear-loading trucks with mechanical arms; the arm needs roughly a three-foot operating envelope on all sides of the cart to extend, clamp, lift the cart over the hopper, dump, and lower it back. Carts wedged against parked vehicles, mailbox posts, fire hydrants, utility poles, or low-hanging tree branches cannot be lifted and are passed by - the resident absorbs the missed pickup. Low-hanging power lines and overhanging branches are particularly important in Fort Smith's older neighborhoods (Belle Grove, Old Fort, Park Hill) where mature tree canopies routinely require homeowner-side branch trimming to keep the curb lane clear. Carts go at the curb (the edge of the asphalt or the cement-curb line), not in the cartway itself and not on the sidewalk where they obstruct pedestrian travel. The 7:00 a.m. set-out time is the latest acceptable - the City requires the cart out by that time because trucks begin routes at 7. Carts placed too early in the evening or overnight are subject to the broader nuisance and storm-water concerns the City addresses through Chapter 16 Nuisances enforcement, though the City has not codified a hard early-set-out window like some Northeast cities (Erie's 24-hour window or NYC's after-4 p.m. rule). Lids must remain fully closed and items may not be placed on top - the dump cycle will spill loose material onto the curb and create a separate scattering-rubbish liability under A.C.A. Β§8-6-406. After collection, residents should retrieve the empty cart promptly; carts left at the curb beyond the pickup day are a Neighborhood Services warning trigger.
Improper placement (blocking the mechanical arm, sidewalk obstruction, mailbox/hydrant blocking, low branches not trimmed) results in a missed pickup with no City makeup. Persistent non-compliance is a Chapter 25, Article VII Code violation handled through Neighborhood Services notices, escalating to a Criminal Summons after three warnings in a calendar year (misdemeanor; fine generally not exceeding $500 per offense under Chapter 1 general penalty). Overflowing carts with debris on the curb after pickup may be charged as littering under A.C.A. Β§8-6-406 ($100-$1,000 first offense). Carts left at the curb past the pickup day fall under the Property Maintenance Inspector workflow as a visible nuisance.
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