Federal Way, WA Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

150 governs where solid waste and recycling receptacles can go and how their enclosures must be built for every multifamily, commercial, and institutional building built after January 1, 1993. Subsection (6)(b) sets the access standard collectors rely on: enclosure gates must be wide enough for direct, in-line access by collection trucks and equipment, and where two or more detachable containers, commonly called dumpsters, sit side by side inside one enclosure, the code requires a minimum of 18 feet of unobstructed access when the gates are fully open, with hardware, hinges, and walls adding to the total enclosure width beyond that clearance.

An enclosure built for a single drop box or compactor unit needs gate openings of at least 12 feet, and gates on either type of enclosure cannot include center posts that would obstruct the collection truck's access. 5-foot-wide access routes for trucks, and 21 feet of vertical clearance if a container must be serviced inside an enclosed structure like a parking garage; enclosures not inside a structure need at least 12 feet of vertical clearance at the entrance. Storage areas larger than 175 square feet must be roofed, and any enclosure without a roof needs a functioning, properly sized oil water separator to manage runoff before it reaches the storm system.

Design and size requirements, including the number of containers, must be shown on the plans submitted with the building or land use permit application, and the public works director can modify these standards in writing on request if the exception is found necessary.