Fountain Valley, CA Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)

Section 6.08.140 of the Fountain Valley Municipal Code sets both storage and set-out rules for every household cart in the City of Fountain Valley. Storage first: carts shall be stored in a garage, trash enclosure or the side yard and away from public view except when placed out for collection. A cart parked in a front yard between pickups violates that subsection.

Placement has four parts. Carts go in a location easily accessible to the collector, in the street adjacent to the curb. Where refuse is collected from an alley abutting the premises, carts go as close to the alley property line as feasible and on private property. A cart is not considered placed for collection, and the garbage, refuse and cuttings will not be collected, unless it is removed from any enclosure, structure, cabinet or shelf. The timing rule is the sharpest: carts must be placed before six a.m. on collection days, but not earlier than six p.m. the day preceding, and they must be relocated to their storage place as soon as possible after collection, and no later than nine p.m. on the day of collection.

Responsibility is shared. The owner and tenant are each responsible for the placement of the carts provided, so a landlord can be cited alongside an occupant. Subsection (d) then makes it unlawful to store or place carts in violation of the section. Related rules apply: Section 6.08.090 requires lids to be closed, and Section 6.08.090(b) bars placing a non-compliant cart on public property for collection. Section 6.08.150(c) confines hauler collections to 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., which is why the 6 a.m. deadline exists.