Jackson, MS Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

Jackson regulates dumpsters from two directions: how they must be built and when they may be serviced. Under City Code § 26-462, every new refuse area with a receptacle (dumpster) at an apartment complex of five or more units, at a commercial land use, or at a commercial-type use inside an industrial district must be completely screened from adjacent properties by an enclosure at least six feet high, fully enclosed on four sides with one gated side, and built under a building permit obtained before construction. Enclosures must use opaque, fire-resistant material such as masonry, concrete, 18-gauge corrugated steel, trex, or black vinyl-coated chain link with slats no more than a half-inch apart, finished to match the principal building, with gates that cannot swing into a drive lane or across a sidewalk and bollards to protect the enclosure from being struck during pickup. Dumpsters must stay inside the enclosure except during scheduled collection, and gates must stay closed and operable except during pickup.

Separately, § 106-61(a) provides: 'No person or entity owning, nor any person driving, a vehicle for commercial solid waste collection and/or hauling shall service commercial garbage dumpsters within 150 feet of any residential structure between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekdays, and between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. on weekends, so as to create a public nuisance to the residents at and near a specific location.' The public works director enforces this by certified-mail notice; a third notice without abatement puts the hauler or dumpster owner in violation, and neighborhood organizations within 1,000 feet must be notified before any variance hearing.