Fontana, CA Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

Sec. 24-1 defines a roll-off or pull-on container as a large detachable box of 14 cubic yards or more that a collection truck mechanically pulls onto the vehicle and hauls to an approved disposal site. Sec. 24-14(b) requires multiple-dwellings of five or more units to use dumpster-type containers unless the city approves something else, and states that all roll-off and dumpster containers must be standardized and approved by the city to meet state organics and recycling mandates; the containers stay the property of the contractor or city, with replacement costs built into collection rates and repairs made at the contractor's expense once the city or the contractor itself flags a problem.

Under Sec. 24-42(b), a commercial customer or the city can request a rolling container with lockable tops at the collection site; the contractor can charge a setup, maintenance and lock-replacement fee if the city council's fee resolution allows it, and the tops must stay locked at all times except while the customer is loading the bin or the contractor is emptying or swapping it. Sec. 24-42(c) lets the city order a commercial container emptied the same day a request is made, outside its normal schedule, with the extra pickup billed to the customer; the city can also order a permanent additional container or a higher service level if the existing containers aren't enough to protect public health and safety, with the added cost falling on the commercial customer. Sec. 24-43(a) requires that any additional container installation meet the city's planning and zoning requirements.