Mason County, WA Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)

Mason County Code § 17.29.020, part of the Service and Storage Areas chapter for the Belfair UGA, requires screening for garbage, recycling, and utility areas visible from a public street, park, or neighboring property. The enclosure must be a wall or fence at least seven feet high with self-closing doors. Where the enclosure sits next to a public street or pedestrian alley, the applicant must also install a landscaped planting strip at least three feet wide along three sides of the facility. Screen fences themselves must be masonry, ornamental metal, or wood (or a combination); the code expressly bans chain link, plastic, or wire fencing for this screening.

The same chapter requires roof-mounted mechanical equipment and outdoor storage to be screened from public streets, parking areas, and adjacent properties using the same fence standards or at least fifteen feet of Type A landscaping under § 17.31.020(7). The standard applies to commercial and multi-family projects reviewed by Mason County Community Development; it does not apply to single-family development or projects in the business-industrial district, which are expressly exempted in § 17.29.020's opening sentence. Applicants submit enclosure and landscaping plans as part of Belfair UGA site plan review under Title 15's consolidated application process.

Because § 17.29 sits within Title 17's zoning and development regulations, enforcement runs through Mason County Development Code Chapter 15.13, administered by Community Development's code enforcement staff and, on appeal, the hearing examiner.