Pismo Beach, CA Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Alley behind the property
- Container within five feet of the rear property line
- No alley
- Container within twenty feet of the rear of the building
- Receptacle size
- Five to sixty gallons, with handles and close-fitting lid (§ 8.12.030)
- Short-term rental set-out
- Out after 5:00 p.m. the day before; in by 8:00 p.m. collection day
- Noncomplying container
- Tagged, then removed as rubbish if not replaced by next collection day
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor: up to $500 fine, six months jail, or both
Summary
In the City of Pismo Beach, California, garbage and rubbish containers must sit on the premises during collection: within five feet of the rear property line where a through alley exists, and within twenty feet of the rear of the building where none does. Municipal Code § 8.12.050 covers dwellings, flats, apartment houses, hotels and restaurants alike.
A. Each garbage vessel, tank, or receptacle, and each rubbish container provided by the owner, manager or person in possession, charge or control of any restaurant, hospital, hotel, boarding house, cafe, cafeteria, and other like eating places, apartment houses, and of butcher shops and green vegetable stores, and every person occupying a dwelling or flat within the city, shall be kept or placed in the manner following during the time for collection: 1. Where there is an alley, other than a blind alley, in the rear of the premises, such vessel, tank, receptacle or rubbish container shall be placed on the premises within five feet of the rear property line. 2. Where there is no alley, such vessel, tank, receptacle, or rubbish container shall be placed on the premises within twenty feet of the rear of the restaurant, cafe, cafeteria, hospital, hotel, boarding house, and other like eating places, apartment houses, dwelling or flat, from which garbage or rubbish is accumulated.
Full Breakdown
Section 8.12.050 applies to every garbage vessel, tank or receptacle and every rubbish container provided by the person in charge of a restaurant, hospital, hotel, boarding house, cafe, cafeteria, apartment house, butcher shop or green vegetable store, and to every person occupying a dwelling or flat within the city. The location rule applies during the time for collection. Where an alley other than a blind alley runs behind the premises, the container goes on the premises within five feet of the rear property line. Where there is no alley, the container goes on the premises within twenty feet of the rear of the building from which the garbage or rubbish accumulates.
The container itself is regulated by the neighboring sections of Chapter 8.12. Under § 8.12.030, garbage must be kept in metal or plastic receptacles with handles, with a capacity of not less than five gallons and not to exceed sixty gallons, fitted with close-fitting lids that stay closed except when garbage is being put in or taken out. Each receptacle and its cover must be kept clean on the outside, free of accumulating grease or decomposing material. Rubbish under § 8.12.040 goes in a suitable box, barrel or other receptacle kept on each premises and sufficient to hold what would ordinarily accumulate there.
Short-term rentals and homestays carry a set-out window of their own in § 5.22.120 C: garbage bins go out no earlier than 5:00 p.m. the day before collection day and come in no later than 8:00 p.m. on collection day. Section 8.12.050 B adds a consequence for a bad container: one that does not comply, or that deteriorates until it no longer does, is tagged by the contract agent, and if it is not replaced by the next regular collection day it is treated as rubbish and removed in the same manner as any other rubbish. Disputes about the place where receptacles stand while awaiting removal go to the city council or the director of public works, and under § 8.12.210 that decision is final.
Violations & Fines
The director of public works and the Pismo Beach Police Department are required to enforce Chapter 8.12 and have the right to enter premises to check compliance (§ 8.12.190). Under § 8.12.330 a violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars, imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six months, or both, and each day a violation continues is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far from the back property line must my garbage can be in Pismo Beach?
What are the set-out times for a Pismo Beach vacation rental?
What happens to a cracked or damaged container?
Who settles a dispute over where the bins go?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pismo Beach
California rules heatmap·Compare Pismo Beach to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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