Fall River, MA Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required from
- Traffic Commission
- Permit fee
- $15 per day
- Permit term
- 30 days per location
- Sidewalk placement
- never permitted
- Marking required
- reflective orange-and-white striping
Summary
Placing any refuse container of 100 pounds or more capacity in a Fall River street or public way requires a Traffic Commission permit, and such a container can never be placed on a sidewalk.
Except as otherwise authorized by this chapter, no person shall place or maintain or allow to be placed or maintained in or upon any public way any container or receptacle of a storage capacity of 100 pounds or more used or intended or designed to be used for the storage or collection of refuse or any other material without first obtaining a permit from the Traffic Commission. No permit shall be issued for the placing of any such container or receptacle on any sidewalk.
B. Fee; term; conditions. The fee for such permit shall be as provided in Chapter A110, Fee Schedule, of the City Code, and the permit shall be valid for a period of 30 days from its date of issue, at any one location, unless granted a continuance by the Traffic Commission. Containers must be placed at the location from which the refuse is coming, and they cannot be used as domestic trash containers.
C. Standards for containers. Each storage receptacle shall be marked on each end with eighteen-inch-wide reflective sheeting which has twelve-inch-wide diagonal orange and white stripes sloping downward at an angle of 45° in the direction traffic is to pass. The reflectorized sheeting shall conform with specification M9.30.2 of the Standard Specifications for Highways and Bridges. The owner shall have his name affixed to the dumpster. The Traffic Commission may prescribe additional rules and regulations governing the placing and maintaining of such receptacles.
D.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4739915; v14 updated 2025-12-23; through 12-23-2025).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 62-45 requires a Traffic Commission permit before any storage receptacle of 100 pounds or more capacity, the size range of a commercial dumpster or roll-off box, is placed in a public way; sidewalks are off-limits entirely, no permit will be issued for one there. Permits run 30 days at one location, cost $15 per day, and containers must carry reflective orange-and-white striping plus the owner's name. The Traffic Commission can add conditions and revoke a permit at its discretion.
Violations & Fines
Placing or maintaining a container without a permit, or as a safety hazard, is a separate offense each day it continues, punishable under the City's general penalty, § 1-15 (up to $300).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a dumpster in the street in Fall River?
Can a dumpster be placed on the sidewalk?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fall River
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Dumpster Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Bristol County handle dumpster rules.