Cumberland County, NC Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Subdivision Regs § 3.21(l)
- Pad requirement
- Concrete slab required
- Fencing
- Minimum three sides enclosed
- Chain-link exception
- Must add evergreen screen buffer
- Landscape standard
- County Zoning Ordinance Article XIV
- Reviewed by
- Cumberland County Planning Department
- Also applies to
- Mobile home parks under § 3.25
Summary
Group developments and mobile home parks in unincorporated Cumberland County must screen every dumpster and utility area under Subdivision Regulations Section 3.21(l). The pad has to be concrete, the enclosure fenced on at least three sides, and chain-link substitutes require an evergreen buffer meeting the County Zoning Ordinance's landscape standards. The Planning Department checks this on the site plan.
All dumpsters and utility areas shall be screened. Dumpster sites shall be located on concrete slabs and be fenced around three (3) sides, minimum. Chainlink fencing may be utilized, but it must be accompanied with an evergreen screen as in Section XIV, Landscape Ordinance, of the County Zoning Ordinance.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 8).
Full Breakdown
21(l) of the Subdivision Regulations (Appendix B of the County Code) governs how commercial and multifamily developments in the unincorporated county store trash. Any group-development site plan reviewed by the Cumberland County Planning Department must show dumpster and utility areas screened: the dumpster site itself sits on a concrete slab and is fenced on a minimum of three sides. The section lets a developer substitute chain-link fencing for a solid enclosure, but only if it is paired with an evergreen screen meeting the plant-material and buffer-width tables in Article XIV, the Landscape Ordinance, of the County Zoning Ordinance.
25 for mobile home parks, so the requirement follows any multi-unit development regardless of whether it is platted as a group development or a mobile home park. of 9-27-83, § 1, then folded into the current numbering by the county-wide amendment of 7-23-96. Because it sits in the subdivision ordinance rather than a standalone solid-waste chapter, it is enforced at the site-plan stage, not by a separate dumpster permit: the Planning Department will not approve a preliminary or final plat that omits the screening detail, and developments in an area where a zoning ordinance is not in effect are still bound by this subdivision-level screening duty.
Violations & Fines
Section 3.21 carries no standalone dumpster fine; it is enforced through the plat-approval process under Section 6.5. Selling or transferring land by reference to a plat that was never properly approved and recorded, which includes a plan missing required screening, is a misdemeanor, and the County Attorney can sue to enjoin the illegal sale. In practice, the Planning Department simply withholds plat approval until screening is shown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this rule apply inside Fayetteville or the other towns?
Can I use plain chain-link fencing around a dumpster pad?
Does a single-family subdivision need to screen dumpsters?
What happens if a site plan is approved without the screening shown?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cumberland County
Compare Cumberland County to another location·View the North Carolina trash & recycling overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.