Elyria, OH Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

Section 1137.17 applies to all dumpsters, trash collection areas and related service entrances, not just commercial ones. It has four parts.

Setbacks: each dumpster, trash collection area and related screening has to be located in compliance with the same minimum setbacks as an accessory structure as determined by the zoning district in which the structure is located. In the R-LD district, for example, the accessory-use sentence in § 1142.03 prints three (3) feet from any lot line and six (6) feet from any alley.

Screening: if the area is not within an enclosed building or structure, it has to be enclosed by a solid or decorative wall or solid fence of at least seven (7) feet high to completely enclose the containers from the top to the bottom. The wall or fence is placed to screen the view of the collection area from adjacent streets and property. Gates are required at the open side of the enclosure and have to be built of solid material.

Surface: in a zoning district requiring paved parking or driveway areas, the dumpster or trash collection area has to sit wholly on a paved surface, including any access leading to it, so that vehicles entering and exiting to dispose of refuse or empty the containers will not damage the accessway.

Amortization: any existing dumpster, trash collection area and related service entrance located in a residential district had to fully conform within one (1) year from the date of adoption of the Zoning Code. That deadline is long past, so a residential-district dumpster that lacks the seven-foot enclosure is out of compliance today.

The Building Inspector enforces the Zoning Code under § 1127.02, and a dumpster enclosure is built as a structure, so check the fence permit rule in § 1137.15(E) before putting up the wall or fence.