Pitt County, NC Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

Section 10(H)(3) of the Pitt County Zoning Ordinance, titled Screening of Dumpsters, applies to solid waste collection dumpsters on sites used for multi-family residential, commercial, institutional, or industrial purposes. Screening is required whenever the dumpster abuts a residence, a residentially zoned lot, or a road right-of-way, with the goal of blocking the view from those adjoining properties. The ordinance allows evergreen vegetation, fences, walls, or berms, installed so as to create an effective screen. Section 10(H)(4) lets a developer submit an alternative screening plan to the Zoning Administrator when standard buffers are impractical because of site design, topography, or lot configuration; if approved, that plan satisfies the requirement in place of the listed methods.

Where walls or fences substitute for planted buffers under Section 10(H)(4)(b)(i), they must be masonry, stone, or pressure-treated lumber (or an opaque fence) at least 5 feet tall, with any required canopy trees and shrubs planted on the outside of the barrier. Berms used for screening need a minimum 5-foot height, a 3-foot crown width, and side slopes no steeper than 3:1, planted with permanent ground cover. Section 10(H)(5) makes the property owner and any tenant jointly and severally responsible for keeping screening healthy, neat, and free of litter, and any dead vegetation must be replaced to the same standard.

The Pitt County Planning Department and Pitt County Cooperative Extension are named as referral sources for proper planting technique. Violations of the dumpster-screening standard are enforced the same way as the rest of the Zoning Ordinance, through the Zoning Administrator's Notice of Violation process under Section 11.