Modesto, CA Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Modesto Code § 5-5.156
- Frequency
- Twice annually, by appointment
- Weight limit per item
- 500 lbs. max
- Length limit per item
- 8 ft. max
- Setout window
- No more than 12 hrs. before pickup
- Clearance required
- 5 ft. from objects/vehicles
- Enforcement
- Public Works Director; § 5-5.106(e) fine scale
Summary
Modesto runs a Residential Bulky Item Collection Program through the Public Works Director, letting residential customers schedule pickup of large items twice a year by appointment. Strict size, weight, and placement rules under § 5-5.156 govern what qualifies and how it must be set out.
"Bulky Item Collection Program" means a program for customers of residential and multi-family units to participate twice annually by appointment in the collection of Bulky Items ... Items unacceptable for bulky item collection include, but are not limited to, glass, liquids, tires, engine parts, large and small green waste, hazardous waste, items over eight (8) feet in length; items weighing in excess of five hundred (500) pounds; building materials from private contractors; lumber/wood, tree trimmings, and Christmas trees. No bulky item will be collected on private property. All bulky items shall be placed in the street no more than twelve (12) hours before the scheduled bulky item collection appointment. Bulky items shall be placed adjacent to the property which requested the bulky item collection, and must be a minimum of five (5) feet away from any fixed object or parked vehicle. There shall be only one (1) bulky item collection location for each residence.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 71).
Full Breakdown
103(10) defines the Bulky Item Collection Program as a benefit for customers of residential and multi-family units to participate twice annually by appointment in the collection of bulky items such as furniture, large appliances, carpet, water heaters, doors, and similar large discards. 156(b) draws a hard line on what the program will not take: glass, liquids, tires, engine parts, green waste, hazardous waste, any item over eight feet long, anything weighing more than 500 pounds, contractor building materials, lumber or wood, tree trimmings, and Christmas trees are all excluded and must go through other disposal channels.
156(c): bulky items cannot be collected from inside private property at all, must be set out in the street no more than twelve hours before the scheduled appointment, must sit adjacent to the requesting property, and must be kept at least five feet from any fixed object or parked vehicle. Each residence gets only one bulky item collection location per pickup, and only items present at the service address when the appointment is scheduled may be set out; items added later are not picked up. 130. 01 of the Code.
Violations & Fines
A violation of § 5-5.156 is punished under the penalty provisions cross-referenced in § 5-5.156(e): the illegal-dumping fine schedule in § 5-5.106(e) ($1,000.00 first violation, $1,500.00 second within twelve months, $2,000.00 for each violation after that) applies, together with the general infraction penalty in § 1-2.01 of the Modesto Code.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often can I use Modesto's bulky item pickup?
What items will Modesto's bulky item program not take?
When can I put bulky items out at the curb?
Will the crew come onto my property to collect bulky items?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Modesto
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