Kent, WA Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential placement
- Curbside only
- Set-out deadline
- Before 7:00 a.m. collection day
- Removal deadline
- By end of collection day
- Overhead clearance to loading area
- 8 feet minimum
- Commercial/multifamily siting
- Subject to fire dept. relocation
- Max criminal penalty
- $5,000 fine / 1 year jail
Summary
Kent requires garbage, recycling, and yard waste containers to sit at curbside for residential pickups, with commercial and multifamily locations subject to fire-department inspection and relocation if they pose a fire hazard.
All garbage, recycle, and yard waste containers and garbage units shall be placed at curbside or alley for collection before 7:00 a.m. or in convenient, accessible locations upon the ground level or ground floor and as near as practicable to the approximate rear of the building or near the alley, street, or road at which collection trucks are to be loaded as approved by the director or collection company. All containers shall be removed from such locations as soon as possible after collection, but no later than the end of the collection day.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4542, passed June 16, 2026).
Full Breakdown
080, the city places two distinct rules on where containers go. For residential collection, containers must be placed at curbside; the only exception is for people with physical disabilities who cannot bring containers to the curb, who may qualify for special walk-in or drive-in service once the public works director approves it under the collection contract. For commercial, industrial, and multifamily properties, container location is subject to inspection by the Kent fire department, and containers must be relocated to areas with reduced or nonexistent fire hazard whenever the department requires it.
on collection day, or kept in convenient, accessible ground-level locations near the rear of the building, alley, street, or road where the collection truck loads. Every container must be removed from the collection location no later than the end of the collection day. Access paths (walks, paths, driveways) leading to the loading point must keep at least 8 feet of overhead clearance. 050(F)(2). 050(D).
Violations & Fines
Any violation of KCC Chapter 7.03, including the container-placement rules, is a civil violation under Kent City Code Chapter 1.04 subject to a monetary penalty and possible abatement (KCC 7.03.120(A)). Violations specifically of the mandatory collection and handling provisions in KCC 7.03.020 through 7.03.050 (which include the placement, timing, and covering requirements) carry an additional criminal exposure: a fine of up to $5,000, imprisonment for up to one year, or both, upon conviction (KCC 7.03.120(B)). The public works director enforces the fire-hazard relocation requirement for commercial and multifamily sites in coordination with the fire department.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does my garbage cart have to sit for pickup in Kent?
What time do I need to put my cart out in Kent?
Can my business's dumpster location be forced to move?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kent
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Bin Placement Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle bin placement rules.