Montgomery, AL Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Curbside set-out
- no later than 7:00 a.m.
- Cart removal
- required by 7:00 p.m. same day
- Roll-out cart use
- mandatory for every resident
- Disability exception
- back-entrance collection by agreement
- Cart repair/replacement
- city pays if not resident's fault
- Collection staff
- may not enter houses or buildings
Summary
Montgomery requires every resident to use the city-issued roll-out cart and put it at the curb no later than 7:00 a.m. on pickup day, then pull it back in by 7:00 p.m. the same day. Sec. 25-35(a) also protects residents with health or age-related disabilities by keeping backdoor collection available.
Roll-out containers for residences. The city will provide each resident with a roll-out container for the purpose of storage of garbage and miscellaneous refuse. This is a requirement for all residents. The resident will be responsible for cleaning of the roll-out container. On scheduled garbage pickup days, the resident will be required to place the roll-out container at the curbside not later than 7:00 a.m. and remove the roll-out container from the curbside not later than 7:00 p.m. of the same day. The city will be responsible for repair or replacement of roll-out containers damaged or stolen through no fault of the resident. Upon proof of disability because of health, age or other reasons, the department will continue to collect garbage from garbage cans placed near the back entrance of such residence unless otherwise designated by agreement with the department. No collection personnel shall enter houses or buildings.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 27).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 25-35(a) makes roll-out container use mandatory for every residence: the city issues each resident a wheeled polyethylene cart for garbage and miscellaneous refuse, and the resident is responsible for keeping it clean. of that same day, so carts cannot sit at the curb overnight or between collections. If a resident's cart is damaged or stolen through no fault of their own, the city repairs or replaces it at no charge. Residents who can document a disability from health, age or another condition can keep back-entrance collection instead of curbside placement, by agreement with the department.
Sec. , to apartment-complex residents, though the department will work with apartment owners on alternative placement, and if that isn't workable the complex owner has to hire a private contractor. Sec. 25-36(b) separately requires businesses, apartment complexes and condominiums that use contractor service to place their containers in the rear of the property rather than at the curb, with the sanitation department deciding the exact spot. Across both regimes, no collection personnel are permitted to enter a house or building to retrieve garbage.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 25-35(a) doesn't set a standalone fine for a mistimed cart, but roll-out container use is a stated requirement for all residents, and Chapter 25's general penalty in Sec. 25-32 covers unlawful acts under the article: a minimum $1.00, maximum $200.00 fine, or up to six months in jail or hard labor, or both. Carts left out past 7:00 p.m. or set out before 7:00 a.m. run against the letter of the ordinance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time does my trash cart need to be at the curb?
Can I get backdoor pickup instead of curbside?
Who pays if my roll-out cart is stolen or damaged?
Where do apartment and business dumpsters go?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Montgomery
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