Carrollton, TX Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Placement bar
- No dumpster in ROW, ditch, sight triangle, fire lane (§ 50.43)
- Screening
- Required per Zoning Ord. Art. XXV §C(5), XXVII §J (§ 50.49)
- Doors/lids
- Must stay closed except while loading (§ 50.40)
- Collection minimum
- At least once per week (§ 50.46)
- Who may collect
- Only city or permitted hauler (§ 50.47)
- Max fine
- $2,000 under general penalty § 10.99(A)(2)
- Adopted
- By Ordinance 4272, August 19, 2025
Summary
Carrollton's general code bars placing a commercial dumpster where it blocks a street or alley right-of-way, drainage ditch, intersection sight triangle, fire lane, storm drain or utility meters. Every commercial container must also be screened per the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, kept closed except while loading, and emptied at least once a week under Code of Ordinances Chapter 50, Subchapter III.
§ 50.43. Placement of commercial containers. A commercial container shall not be located so that it blocks any of the following:
(A) A road or street right-of-way.
(B) A drainage ditch.
(C) A sight triangle at an intersection.
(D) An alleyway.
(E) A fire lane.
(F) A storm drain.
(G) Utility meters. (Ordinance 4272 adopted 8/19/2025) § 50.49. Screening of commercial containers. A commercial container must be screened in accordance with Article XXV, Section C(5) and Article XXVII, Section J of the Carrollton Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance. (Ordinance 4272 adopted 8/19/2025)
Full Breakdown
Carrollton's Code of Ordinances devotes Subchapter III of Chapter 50 (Solid Waste and Recycling) to commercial containers, the code's term for dumpsters, roll-offs and compactors used by businesses and apartment complexes. 43, Placement of commercial containers, forbids setting a container anywhere that blocks a road or street right-of-way, a drainage ditch, a sight triangle at an intersection, an alleyway, a fire lane, a storm drain, or utility meters. 49, Screening of commercial containers, which requires every commercial container to be screened according to Article XXV, Section C(5) and Article XXVII, Section J of the Carrollton Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, tying the placement rule directly to the zoning code's screening standards.
41 makes it an offense to damage, mark, paint, post a sign on, or leave visible graffiti on a container without the owner's or lessee's permission. 46 sets a floor on service: commercial refuse must be collected from a commercial container at least once a week. 70. All of these sections were adopted together by Ordinance 4272 on August 19, 2025.
Violations & Fines
Violating any provision of Chapter 50, including the placement, screening, closed-lid, damage/marking, or once-a-week collection rules for commercial containers, is punishable under the Code's general penalty section, Section 10.99(A)(2), which sets a fine of up to $2,000.00, since solid waste and public-sanitation violations fall in the code's higher penalty tier, above the $500.00 cap that covers most other chapters.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Carrollton
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