Portsmouth, VA Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)
Key Facts
- Branch length required
- 4 to 6 feet
- Max stack size
- 8 ft x 10 ft x 8 ft high
- Diameter cutoff
- Over 18 inches not collected
- Contractor debris
- Never collected by city
- Excluded properties
- Vacant lots, commercial, multifamily
Summary
Portsmouth picks up bulk items and tree debris from residences on a schedule set by the director of general services, but tree parts must be cut to 4-6 foot lengths, stacked no larger than 8 by 10 by 8 feet, and pieces over 18 inches thick are the homeowner's responsibility.
Sec. 16-35. - Collection of bulk refuse generally. Bulk refuse shall be picked up from residential dwellings at such time, and in accordance with such procedures as may be established by the director of general services. Such items shall not be placed for collection as part of the regular collection process for garbage, trash or refuse. Tree branches, tree limbs, parts of trees, bushes, shrubbery and cuttings, or clippings and the like, which cannot be placed in receptacles or refuse bags as required under section 16-34(c), shall be cut into lengths of between four feet and six feet and stacked neatly at curbside in a pile not to exceed eight feet by ten feet by eight feet in height. Tree parts greater than 18 inches in diameter will not be picked up by the city and will be the responsibility of the home owner or tenant for disposal.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 65).
Full Breakdown
City Code Sec. 16-35 governs bulk refuse: it is picked up from residential dwellings at the time and under the procedures the director of general services establishes, and cannot be set out as part of the regular garbage, trash or refuse collection. Tree branches, limbs, parts of trees, bushes, shrubbery and cuttings that cannot fit in receptacles or refuse bags under Sec. 16-34(c) must be cut into lengths between four feet and six feet and stacked neatly at curbside in a pile no larger than eight feet by ten feet by eight feet in height.
Tree parts greater than 18 inches in diameter will not be picked up by the city at all and become the homeowner's or tenant's responsibility to dispose of, as does any trimming, cutting or shrubbery that does not meet these size specifications. Material cut by landscape or tree service contractors is never collected by the city, and an owner or tenant who sets out contractor-cut material for collection is subject to the charges and penalties of Sec. 16-31. The section flatly excludes vacant lots, businesses, commercial establishments and multifamily residential complexes from bulk refuse collection altogether.
Sec. 16-2(c) carves bulk refuse out of the escalating-fine notice scheme that applies to other chapter violations, meaning first-offense notice-then-fine treatment under Sec. 16-2 does not automatically apply to Sec. 16-35 violations.
Violations & Fines
Setting out tree debris cut by a landscape or tree contractor, exceeding the eight-by-ten-by-eight-foot stack limit, or placing pieces over 18 inches in diameter for pickup subjects the owner or tenant to the abatement charges of Sec. 16-31: a $150.00 administrative fee plus $250.00 per load for the city's waste equipment, which can be added to real estate taxes and docketed as a lien.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I stack tree limbs for bulk pickup in Portsmouth?
Will Portsmouth collect large tree trunk sections?
Does Portsmouth pick up bulk refuse from businesses or apartment complexes?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portsmouth
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