Issaquah, WA Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

Section 18.600.100 of the Issaquah Land Use Code sets waste collection standards for commercial and multifamily developments. Its stated intent is adequate facilities for waste and recycling collection. Separate containers must be provided for garbage, recyclables and food waste, all in the same outdoor enclosure or indoor room, and a restaurant use needs room for a grease barrel. Trash compactors must be connected to sanitary sewer, separated from storm drains.

Grade limits protect against runaway containers. In front of an enclosure for dumpsters on rollers, the area where the dumpster is pulled out for servicing cannot exceed a three percent grade. For stationary dumpsters, any cross slope in front of the enclosure cannot exceed 10 percent. Truck access is limited by the truck turning templates available from the City, and waste collection must be coordinated among the development, the City and the waste collection purveyor. Containers carried to the curb need a permanent location on private property screened with solid fencing or sight-obscuring landscaping, can be brought to the curb no sooner than 18 hours before pickup, and must go back no later than 18 hours after.

Outdoor enclosures must meet every item in subsection D. Enclosures should be provided within 250 feet of each residence or use unless other site planning factors preclude it. The enclosure must be at least six feet high, extend at least one foot above the container and be 100 percent sight-obscuring. It must be roofed to be wildlife resistant, with 14 feet of vertical clearance over stationary dumpsters. The pad must be concrete, slope toward an opening and not exceed a three percent grade. Dumpsters need lids or cover to keep stormwater out, no illicit discharge can reach storm drains, gate doors must open with a 180-degree swing and include gate stops, a separate user door is required, precast curb stops line the inside perimeter except at doors, compactors need an eight-to-10-inch-thick reinforced concrete slab, and enclosures cannot be located in required setbacks.

Separately, IMC 8.04.020 requires every person in charge of property where garbage accumulates to have portable cans or approved metal dumpsters of a size, type and construction approved by the Director, and requires unrestricted overhead clearance of not less than 10 feet along walks, paths and driveways from the dumpster storage area to the place of loading.