Yolo County, CA Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Curb set-out start
- 5:00 p.m. day before collection
- Curb removal deadline
- 7:00 a.m. day after collection
- Old Willowbank removal deadline
- 9:00 a.m. day after collection
- Min. trash container
- 64-gallon, single-family
- Min. recycling/organics carts
- 96-gallon each, single-family
- Enforcing agency
- Dept. of Community Services
Summary
Unincorporated Yolo County requires trash, recycling and organics carts at the curb only within a set window: no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before collection, and pulled back in by 7 a.m. the day after (9 a.m. in Old Willowbank). Leaving containers in the street or alley right-of-way outside that window violates County Code Section 6-17.304 and is enforced by the Department of Community Services.
Discarded Materials Containers shall be placed at the Curb/Roadside for Collection unless a County Franchisee agrees to collect such Containers from an alternative location due to the disability of a Customer. Curb/Roadside placement shall occur no earlier than 5:00 p.m. on the day prior to Collection, and emptied Containers shall be removed from the Curb by 7:00 a.m. on the day after Collection, except for the Old Willowbank community where Containers shall be removed from the Curb by 9:00 a.m. on the day after Collection. Except for Containers placed at the Curb/Roadside for Collection, Discarded Materials Containers, including any Recyclables Containers, or Organics Containers, shall not be placed or allowed to remain in or on any street or alley right-of-way unless authorized by the Department.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Supplement 2026 S-21 includes: Local legislation current through Ord. 1584, effective June 25, 2026).
Full Breakdown
the following day. m. Outside those hours, discarded materials containers, recyclables containers and organics containers cannot sit in or on any street or alley right-of-way unless the Department of Community Services specifically authorizes it, for example when a customer's disability requires the franchisee to collect from an alternate spot. Subsection (b) covers everyone else: multi-family, motel, hotel, mobile-home-park and commercial premises must place carts, bins, containers, drop boxes or compactors wherever the owner or occupant and the authorized County Franchisee agree is easily accessible for pickup.
303 sets the minimum equipment behind these placement rules: single-family units need at least a 64-gallon container for trash, a 96-gallon cart for recyclables and a 96-gallon cart for organics, while commercial premises arrange bins, drop boxes or compactors directly with their franchisee to meet the weekly removal mandated by state Assembly Bills 341 and 1826. Ordinance 1378 (2008) created these rules and Ordinance 1529 (effective November 19, 2020) amended them into their current form.
Violations & Fines
Violating Section 6-17.304's placement window is an infraction under Section 6-17.102, enforced by the Director of the Community Services Department or a designee acting as enforcement officer. Enforcement proceeds through the administrative citation process in Title 1, Chapter 5 of the County Code, which requires written notice identifying the violated section, a grace period to cure before any fine attaches, and a right to contest the citation before a hearing officer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time can I put my trash cart out in unincorporated Yolo County?
How soon do I need to bring my empty cart back in?
Can I store my trash cans in the alley behind my house?
What size trash and recycling carts does the county require?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yolo County
California rules heatmap·Compare Yolo County to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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