Roanoke, VA Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)
Key Facts
- Bulk item limit
- 3 items per collection
- Brush pile size
- 6 ft wide, long and high max
- Branch limit
- 6 ft long, 3 inches diameter max
- Alley collection
- Not permitted for bulk/brush
- Free transfer station loads
- Set by city manager
Summary
Roanoke collects bulk items and brush from residences under City Code section 14.1-23, but caps every load: brush piles can be no larger than six feet wide, six feet long and six feet high, single branches can't exceed six feet or three inches thick, and no more than three bulk items go out at one time.
(a)The city will collect bulk items, brush, and bagged leaves for the owner or occupant of any dwelling unit served by an automated collection container from any lot on which the dwelling unit is located...Such placement shall be made no earlier than 7:00 p.m. of the day prior to the scheduled date of collection and no later than 7:00 a.m. of the day scheduled for collection. No collection of bulk items, brush or bagged leaves will be made from any alley. All woody or leafy yard waste must be stacked in a pile that is no greater than six (6) feet wide, six (6) feet long, and six (6) feet high. No single branch placed for collection can be greater than six (6) feet in length or three (3) inches in diameter. Small piles of brush that can be picked up with two (2) hands shall be disposed of in automated collection containers.(c)No more than three (3) bulk items may be collected and removed at any one time.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 94 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
1-23 governs the city's curbside bulk and brush collection service for any dwelling unit served by an automated container, plus vacant residentially zoned lots where the brush or leaves originated. the day of the scheduled collection; the city does not collect bulk items or brush from alleys under any circumstance. Woody or leafy yard waste has to be stacked in a pile no larger than six feet in each dimension, and no single branch can exceed six feet in length or three inches in diameter; anything smaller that a person can pick up with two hands has to go in the automated container instead.
Subsection (b) requires residents to secure loose material against wind and to remove refrigerator or freezer doors before setting them out, protecting sanitation crews and the public. No more than three bulk items may be collected at any one time, though bagged leaves during leaf season don't count against that cap, and the city manager sets the allowable number of leaf bags each season. Residents can also haul their own pickup-truck loads of bulk items and brush to the transfer station for free, with the free-load limit and other transfer station rules set by the city manager; special dump permits are available on request for loads beyond that limit. A separate cross-reference bars anyone from dumping bulk items or brush cut for a fee in the public right-of-way for city removal.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the three-bulk-item limit, oversized brush piles, or branches over six feet or three inches thick can leave the excess uncollected, since crews are only authorized to remove what section 14.1-23 describes. Section 14.1-22 separately makes it unlawful to dump bulk items or brush that were removed or cut for a fee into the public right-of-way for city pickup, and unlawful dumping generally is a Class 1 misdemeanor under section 14.1-3(d).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many bulk items can Roanoke residents put out at once?
How big can a brush pile be for Roanoke's bulk collection?
Will Roanoke collect bulk items left in an alley?
Can I take my own bulk items to the transfer station for free?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Roanoke
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