Bothell, WA Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

BMC 12.14.155 sets the storage space rate: three square feet per dwelling unit in multifamily developments (unless the development takes part in a public agency-sponsored or approved direct collection program using individual recycling bins), four square feet per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area in office, educational and institutional developments, six square feet per 1,000 in manufacturing developments and all other developments, and ten square feet per 1,000 in retail developments.

Nonresidential developments can use a centralized collection point. Outdoor collection points cannot sit in any required setback area, and they must be placed so hauling trucks do not obstruct pedestrian or vehicle traffic or project into any public right-of-way. Access to collection points can be limited except during regular business hours and specified collection hours. Multifamily developments need at least one collection point for every 30 dwelling units, no more than 200 feet from a common entrance of a residential building.

Design standards come next. An enclosure or building holding a collection point must match the primary structure in architectural style, exterior finish materials and colors, and details. A seven-foot wall or fence with a gate encloses any outdoor collection point, with an exception for industrial developments more than 100 feet from residentially zoned property and not visible from the street right-of-way. Gate openings are at least 12 feet wide, with 12 feet of vertical clearance for roofed structures. Signs identifying a collection point cannot exceed two square feet each, and weather protection comes from weather-proof containers or a roof.

No container can be stored anywhere on the site except in a designated storage facility, only recyclable materials and garbage generated on the site can be stored there, and lids stay closed. BMC 12.18.100(B) adds that all garbage dumpsters and other refuse containers must be obscured from view from adjacent streets and properties with a solid four-foot evergreen hedge or a fence or textured wall supplemented with plantings a minimum of three feet in width.