El Paso County, CO Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- LDC Sec. 6.2.2(G)(1)(b)
- Minimum screen height
- 6 feet
- Screen options
- wall, fence, planting, or berm
- Applies to
- site development plans, unincorporated area
Summary
El Paso County requires refuse collection areas, including trash bins, on developed sites in the unincorporated county to be screened from view of adjacent properties and roads.
Refuse collection areas, including trash bins, shall be screened from view from adjacent properties and roads by an opaque wall or fence, architectural elements, dense evergreen plantings with a minimum planting height of 6 feet, or berms with dense plantings creating an opaque appearance with a minimum height of 6 feet.
(c) Loading Docks and Other Vehicle Areas Screened. Loading docks, vehicle repair bays, and vehicle fueling areas shall be screened from view from adjacent roads by the use of plantings, berms, walls, fences, or other architectural elements.
(d) Water Storage Tank and Utility Facilities Landscape Requirements.
(i) Site-Specific Landscaping Required. PCD Director approval of site-specific landscaping is required for a water storage tank and utility facilities. Installation of approved site-specific landscaping is required prior to putting a water storage tank or utility facility into operation. The site-specific landscaping is subject to the following standards:
• Rural and Remote Areas: In rural and remote areas landscaping, screening and erosion control measures shall be tailored to the nature and character of the area and the type of facility or structure contemplated. Site-specific landscaping shall, at a minimum, include revegetation of disturbed areas with materials indigenous to the site or otherwise adaptable.
• Urbanized and Developed Areas: In urbanized and developed areas, the site-specific
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Land Development Code: Supplement 3 | Drainage Criteria Manual: Publication | Engineering Criteria Manual: Supplement 3 | Ordinances: Reformat).
Full Breakdown
Under Land Development Code Sec. 6.2.2(G)(1)(b), any refuse collection area, including trash bins, must be screened from view from adjacent properties and roads. Acceptable screening methods are an opaque wall or fence, architectural elements, dense evergreen plantings at least 6 feet high at planting, or berms combined with dense plantings that together create an opaque appearance at least 6 feet high. The requirement sits inside Chapter 6's General Development Standards for landscaping and applies to site development plans reviewed by the Planning and Community Development (PCD) Department for the unincorporated area, it does not reach Colorado Springs, Fountain, Monument, Manitou Springs, or Palmer Lake, each of which codes refuse screening separately. Applicants show the screening method on the required landscape plan submitted with a site development plan application, and PCD Director review confirms the wall, fence, planting, or berm choice meets the 6-foot opacity standard before a plan is approved.
Violations & Fines
PCD may reject or condition a site development plan that lacks compliant refuse-area screening; unscreened bins on an approved site can trigger a code compliance case through PCD.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do residential trash cans need screening in unincorporated El Paso County?
How tall must the screen be?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in El Paso County
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