La Mesa, CA Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Service model
- Single exclusive contract awarded by city council
- Covers
- Single-family, multi-family, and commercial properties
- Collection frequency
- Set by city council, not less often than needed
- Downtown district
- Mandatory subscription, cost prorated each January
- Contractor security
- Faithful performance bond required (Sec. 7.20.060)
- Penalty
- Infraction, up to $250 (Sec. 1.01.080)
Summary
In the City of La Mesa, the city council awards one exclusive contract under Municipal Code Section 7.20.030 to collect, convey, transport and dispose of refuse and garbage citywide, and Section 7.20.150 requires that contractor to collect from residences at least as often as the council decides is necessary. Every single-family, multi-family and commercial property is served by that same contract.
At such times as the Council shall from time to time determine, it shall award an exclusive contract to collect, convey, transport and dispose of refuse, garbage and other waste materials within the City of La Mesa for a period of time as set by City Council. ... The contractor shall make collections from residences not less often than the Council may from time to time deem necessary.
Full Breakdown
La Mesa does not leave residential trash pickup to competing private haulers. Section 7.20.030 authorizes the city council to award, from time to time, a single exclusive contract to collect, convey, transport and dispose of refuse, garbage and other waste materials citywide for a term the council sets. Section 7.20.040 requires that contract to ensure collection from single-family residential dwellings, multi-family residential dwellings, and commercial businesses alike, and Section 7.20.150 sets the collection-schedule floor: the contractor must collect from residences not less often than the council decides, from time to time, is necessary.
The contractor's performance is secured by a faithful performance bond or other approved surety under Section 7.20.060, and its vehicles must be built and operated to prevent refuse from scattering or spilling along the route under Section 7.20.160. Section 7.20.190 layers on an extra mandate for the downtown business district: every household or business there must subscribe to collection service, the city provides enclosed container structures, and the council sets each property's prorated share of the cost every January. Rates for ordinary service cannot exceed the maximum the council fixes in the contract under Section 7.20.080, and a resident can bypass mandatory service only by meeting the Section 7.30.090 self-hauler standard.
Violations & Fines
Operating as an unauthorized refuse hauler in place of the city's exclusive contractor, or a downtown business district property failing to subscribe to service under Section 7.20.190, violates Chapter 7.20. Section 7.20.195 makes any such violation an infraction under the general penalty clause of Section 1.01.080, capped at a $250 fine, and Section 7.20.100 separately bars willfully refusing to pay the contractor's rate for the mandatory service actually received.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can La Mesa residents choose their own trash company?
How often must the contractor collect trash in La Mesa?
Do downtown La Mesa businesses have to use city trash service?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in La Mesa
California rules heatmap·Compare La Mesa to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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Collection Schedule in Nearby Cities
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