Rochester, MN Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum frequency
- At least once weekly, Sec. 12-10-13(a)
- Standard hours
- 7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- Commercial/industrial hours
- 4:00 a.m. with city administrator approval
- No-collection days
- Sundays and five listed holidays
- Medical waste
- Exempt from hours/day limits, Sec. 12-10-13(c)
- Hauler license
- County license, council-approved, Sec. 12-10-10
Summary
Rochester requires refuse pickup at least once a week at every residential and commercial property. Standard collection runs between 7:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., never on Sundays or on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving or Christmas, with earlier 4:00 a.m. starts allowed in approved commercial and industrial zones.
Refuse shall be collected from residential and commercial properties at least once weekly. Except as hereinafter provided, all such collection shall be made between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Collections shall not be made on Sundays or on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving or Christmas. In areas zoned and used for commercial and industrial purposes that have been approved by the city administrator, the hours set forth for collection shall be 4:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The city administrator may rescind any approval issued pursuant to this subdivision for any reason.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 8 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 12-10-13 of the Rochester Code of Ordinances sets the citywide collection window. m. No collection is allowed on Sundays or on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving or Christmas. , and the city administrator can rescind that early-start approval for any reason. Subsection (c) exempts medical waste collection entirely from the hours and days limits when the facility generating the waste owns, or is under common ownership or control with, a licensed waste disposal facility able to handle medical waste.
The chapter also requires that every hauler operating in the city hold a county collector license approved by the council (Sec. 12-10-10), that collection vehicles be fully enclosed metal-bodied trucks maintained so refuse cannot leak or spill in transit (Sec. 12-10-11), and be cleaned at reasonable intervals to control odor (Sec. 12-10-12). The city itself retains the right to run collection directly rather than through licensed private haulers, per Sec. 12-10-15.
Violations & Fines
Collecting outside the 7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. window, on a prohibited holiday, or on a Sunday without the commercial 4:00 a.m. approval violates Sec. 12-10-13. Operating as a collector without the required county-issued, council-approved license under Sec. 12-10-10 is a separate violation. Absent a chapter-specific penalty, the citywide default in Sec. 1-1-11 applies: up to $1,000.00 and 90 days in jail, or a $300.00 petty misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rochester
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