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Loveland, CO Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Set-out window
12 hours before scheduled collection
Return deadline
Same day after pickup
Screening rule
Behind front façade if visible from street
Sidewalk/street placement
Prohibited at any time
Standard abatement deadline
72 hours (24 hours if health hazard)

Summary

Loveland requires owners and occupants to secure and screen refuse and recycling containers from street view, placing them behind the house's front façade if full screening isn't possible. Carts may only sit at the curb or alley edge within the 12 hours before scheduled collection and must go back to storage the same day.

Containers shall be secured and placed where they are not spilled by animals or wind or other elements and screened from view of the street. To the extent that a container on residential property cannot be screened from view of the street, it shall be placed behind the front façade of the house. ... All moveable refuse containers and recyclable materials shall be kept in a storage area except on collection day, or within 12 hours preceding the time of regularly scheduled collection from the premises, when they may be placed at the curb or upon the edge of the alley. Following collection, they shall be returned to a storage area the same day. Refuse containers and recyclable materials shall not, at any time, be placed on the sidewalk or in the street.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 13).

Full Breakdown

020(A) makes the owner and occupant of any premises jointly responsible for keeping refuse containers secured against animals, wind and weather, and screened from view of the street; where a container on residential property cannot be fully screened, it must sit behind the front façade of the house. 070(B) governs timing: moveable refuse and recyclable-material containers must stay in a storage area except on collection day or within the 12 hours immediately before the regularly scheduled pickup, when they can move to the curb or the edge of the alley.

Once collection is complete, containers must be returned to storage that same day, and at no time can they sit on a sidewalk or in the street or otherwise block pedestrian, bicycle or vehicular traffic. 070(A). 070(C) requires them to be securely tied, made of a liquid- and grease-impenetrable material, and thick enough not to tear under normal handling. 010) is preventing fire, health and safety hazards, pest harborage, and neighborhood blight from accumulated refuse.

Violations & Fines

A code enforcement officer may issue a written Notice and Order to Abate under § 16.44.010. Under the notice schedule at § 16.44.020, Accumulations of Waste Material violations carry a 72-hour abatement window, shortened to 24 hours if the condition is a health hazard. If the owner doesn't comply, the City may abate the condition itself and assess the full cost plus a 10% inspection surcharge against the property under § 16.44.050, with unpaid assessments becoming a lien after 30 days. Court violations are punishable under Chapter 1.12.

Frequently Asked Questions

How early can I put my trash cart out in Loveland?
Not until 12 hours before your scheduled collection time. Loveland Municipal Code § 16.12.070(B) requires containers to stay in a storage area the rest of the week and be moved to the curb or alley edge only within that 12-hour window before pickup.
Do I have to hide my trash cans from the street in Loveland?
Yes. Section 16.12.020(A) requires refuse containers to be screened from street view; if a residential property can't fully screen them, the container must be placed behind the front façade of the house rather than in front of it.
What happens if I leave my Loveland trash cart out too long?
It's an accumulation-of-waste-material violation. An enforcement officer can issue a Notice and Order to Abate with a 72-hour deadline (24 hours for a health hazard) under § 16.44.020; unresolved cases let the City remove the condition and bill the owner plus a 10% inspection fee.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Loveland

All Loveland rules

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