DeKalb County, GA Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- DeKalb County Code § 7-31.1(d)
- Default rule
- No dumpster in the street
- Exception
- Street paved 24+ feet, director approval
- Work hours
- Mon-Fri 7am-7pm, Sat 8am-5pm
- No work days
- Sundays and 6 major holidays
- Max penalty
- $1,000 fine or 120 days jail
Summary
Construction dumpsters and other onsite waste-disposal equipment can't sit in the street in unincorporated DeKalb County unless the planning department director signs off and the street is at least 24 feet wide with adequate traffic controls in place. Every building permit's site plan must already show where the dumpster will go.
(d) Dumpsters or any onsite waste disposal equipment may not be located on the street. If adequate traffic controls can be implemented, the planning department director or designee may approve the placement of dumpsters and onsite waste disposal equipment on a street so long as the street has a paved width greater than twenty-four (24) feet.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 1(a)-(b) requires every building-permit site plan to "delineate the proposed grading for the entire site" and to mark the location of "Dumpsters or other onsite disposal equipment" along with portable toilets, construction parking, staging areas, and stockpile areas, before the county will issue the permit. Subsection (d) then sets the placement rule itself: dumpsters and onsite waste disposal equipment "may not be located on the street" as a default, but "the planning department director or designee may approve the placement of dumpsters and onsite waste disposal equipment on a street so long as the street has a paved width greater than twenty-four (24) feet" and adequate traffic controls can be implemented.
," with none allowed on Sundays or on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Memorial Day, July 4th or Labor Day, absent an emergency risking harm to the site or neighbors. Portable toilets sited alongside the dumpster must stay "off of the right-of-way and at least fifteen (15) feet from any side property line" under subsection (e). These rules apply to construction-site dumpsters countywide in the unincorporated area; incorporated cities like Decatur or Dunwoody administer their own building and site-plan codes.
Violations & Fines
A dumpster placed in the street without the planning director's approval, or outside the approved site plan, is a permit violation under Sec. 7-37(a)-(b): the building official issues a notice of violation ordering the condition abated, and failing to correct it brings a court citation. Conviction carries the Sec. 1-10 general penalty of up to a $1,000 fine, up to 120 days in jail, or both, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a construction dumpster sit in the street in front of my DeKalb County project?
Does my building permit application need to show where the dumpster goes?
What hours can a dumpster be delivered or serviced at a DeKalb County construction site?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in DeKalb County
Compare DeKalb County to another location·View the Georgia trash & recycling overview
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