St. Louis County, MO Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)
Key Facts
- Storage setback
- At least 3 feet behind front of main residential structure
- Earliest set-out
- Dusk of the day before scheduled collection day
- Hauler minimum service
- Biannual bulky collection for one and two family homes
- Early set-out fine
- $25 first violation, $50 second, within 12 months
- Off-premises storage fine
- $100 first violation, $200 second (residential)
- Maximum court penalty
- $1,000 fine, up to one year in jail, or both
- Not bulky waste
- Automobiles and construction and demolition materials
Summary
St. Louis County Code § 607.120 controls where bulky waste sits and when it goes out: keep it on the property where it was generated, at least 3 feet behind the front of the main house, and set it at the collection point no earlier than dusk of the day before pickup. Licensed haulers serving one and two family homes must provide biannual bulky collection under § 607.181.
Bulky Waste means a form of municipal waste, that is non-putrescible solid waste ... which are either too large or too heavy to be safely and conveniently loaded in waste transportation vehicles by waste haulers with the equipment available therefor. "Bulky residential waste" is bulky waste generated on residential premises other than automobiles and construction and demolition materials. ... Residential waste and/or recovered material containers and bulky/non-containerized waste shall be stored upon the premises where the waste was generated, unless written permission for storage on other premises is obtained from a person having authority to grant such permission. The containers and bulky/non-containerized waste shall be stored at least three (3) feet behind the front of the main residential structure. ... Waste and recovered material containers and bulky/non-containerized waste shall be placed at the collection point if in front of the premises or on a street not earlier than dusk of the day prior to the regularly scheduled collection day.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 85 | Traffic: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 607, the Waste Management Code, defines bulky waste in § 607.040 as non-putrescible municipal waste from dwellings, businesses, institutions or farms that is too large or too heavy to be safely and conveniently loaded into hauler vehicles with the equipment available. Bulky residential waste is that material generated on residential premises, and the definition carves out automobiles and construction and demolition materials. Demolition and construction debris follows its own rules in § 607.130: a full mobile waste container cannot receive more waste, the debris must be secured against wind, and it cannot sit in a floodplain unless it is in a mobile waste container.
Section 607.120.1 sets the storage and set-out rules for homes. Bulky items stay on the premises where they were generated unless written permission exists from a person with authority over other premises. They sit at least 3 feet behind the front of the main residential structure. Outside multifamily buildings of four or more units, the person responsible for collection decides whether the pile goes at the curb, at the mailbox, or in the backyard or side yard. Items go to the collection point no earlier than dusk of the day before the regularly scheduled collection day, and containers return to storage the same day as collection. Under § 607.120.2, nonresidential bulky waste stays on the nonresidential premises where it was generated, again unless written permission for other premises exists.
Collection itself is a hauler obligation. Section 607.181 requires every licensed hauler that serves one and two family dwellings to provide weekly municipal waste collection, weekly recovered materials collection, and biannual bulky waste collection, and it excludes Banned Items from bulky waste. Section 607.060 leaves bulky waste out of the container requirement, and § 607.145 leaves bulky residential waste out of the once-a-week pickup rule, so bulky items ride on the separate twice-a-year service. Under § 607.140, the owner and all adult residents must make sure a collection agreement with a county-licensed hauler is in effect, and agreements for rented single family and two-family dwellings must be in the owner's name.
Violations & Fines
Citations under § 607.120 are paid to the Director under § 607.950, with a higher amount for a second violation in a 12-month period. Storing bulky waste on another's premises without written permission costs $100, then $200. Storing it less than 3 feet behind the front of the house costs $50, then $100. Setting it out before dusk on the prior day costs $25, then $50. Nonresidential off-site storage costs $100, then $300. A conviction under § 607.960 carries up to $1,000, up to one year in the St. Louis County Justice Center, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Louis County
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