Georgetown, KY Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

Section 40-30 regulates the location and screening of dumpsters on residentially zoned property so they do not cause annoyance, disturbance or nuisance to citizens. All existing dumpsters were brought under the section when it was adopted. No new dumpster is permitted without a permit from the building inspector, issued only after review of a drawing demonstrating compliance, and the property owner is responsible for obtaining the permit and making the needed improvements. The planning commission can instead approve a dumpster as part of an approved development plan that complies with the section.

Zone and building rules are specific. Only temporary construction-related dumpsters are allowed in any R-1 zone. All multifamily residential buildings of six or more units shall have a dumpster. Setbacks in approved zones must meet the minimum front yard setback from rights-of-way, with a ten-foot side yard setback and a 15-foot rear yard setback. Temporary construction dumpsters must meet the required setbacks to the extent practicable.

Screening must meet or exceed the details in Exhibits 1 through 4, which are on file in the office of the city clerk-treasurer, and equivalency is determined by the city or planning commission engineers. The area within or immediately adjacent to the screening must be kept free of debris, and the contents of temporary construction dumpsters cannot be allowed to escape.

Operations are limited as well. Dumpsters in residential zones cannot be emptied except between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. A temporary dumpster located on a public right-of-way needs written location approval from the chief of police before the building inspection permit is issued, and it must carry lights or reflectors sufficient to make the box easily visible to the motoring public. An owner of a multifamily building not otherwise required to have a dumpster, who has three refuse-related violations under the section within a six-month period, can be required by written notice to provide one. Owners of existing dumpsters that substantially meet the requirements are not required to alter their property.

Under § 40-24(a), private persons can collect solid waste in the city if it is collected in a dumpster.