Chesterfield County, VA Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Sec. 11-6 applies to
- motels, apartment houses, shopping centers
- Must provide
- tightly covered, leak-proof containers
- Must provide
- adequate collection service
- Single-family homes
- use licensed private haulers, no county pickup
- First violation penalty
- $50.00 civil fine (Sec. 11-31)
Summary
Chesterfield County doesn't run curbside trash pickup itself: homeowners contract with a licensed private hauler under the county's own collector-licensing program. But Sec. 11-6 puts a direct duty on multifamily and commercial properties: every motel, apartment house and shopping center must furnish covered containers and adequate collection service.
Sec. 11-6. - Motels, apartment houses and shopping centers to provide trash and garbage containers and collection service. (a)The owner or operator of all motels, apartment houses and shopping centers shall provide adequate, tightly covered, leak-proof trash and garbage containers at on the grounds of each motel, apartment house or shopping center.(b)The owner or operator of all motels, apartment houses and shopping centers shall provide adequate service for the collection of such trash and garbage.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
Unlike a municipality that runs its own trucks on a fixed weekly route, Chesterfield licenses private 'compensated collectors' under Article II of Chapter 11 (Sec. ), and residents individually contract with one of those licensed haulers, so pickup day varies by which company a household uses rather than a single county schedule. Sec. ' That duty falls on the property owner or operator, not the county or a hauler directly, and it applies regardless of which licensed collector the property uses. If a covered property lets trash or garbage accumulate anyway, the county can treat it as an unlawful condition under Sec. 00 administrative charge, which becomes a lien on the property, on par with unpaid real estate taxes, if it goes unpaid.
Violations & Fines
A motel, apartment complex or shopping center that skips required containers or collection service, letting trash accumulate, can be cited under Sec. 11-31's unlawful-conditions rule: a $50.00 civil penalty for a first violation, $200.00 for repeats within 12 months (capped at $3,000.00 per year), escalating to a Class 3 misdemeanor after three penalties within 24 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Chesterfield County run curbside trash pickup for houses?
Are apartment complexes required to provide trash service?
What happens if a shopping center lets its dumpster area pile up?
Who enforces the container and collection requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chesterfield County
Compare Chesterfield County to another location·View the Virginia trash & recycling overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.