Washoe County, NV Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Default billing
- Per dwelling unit, weekly (WCC 90.060)
- Dumpster billing switch
- Apply to franchise holder for business rate
- Commercial rate
- Negotiated, or set by county manager
- Collector
- County's exclusive franchise hauler (WCC 90.035)
- Enforcement
- District health officer, WCC 90.100
- Max penalty
- $1,000 fine / 6 months jail (WCC 125.050)
Summary
Washoe County bills garbage service by dwelling unit under WCC 90.060, but an apartment, condo, duplex or mobile home park owner who switches to a Dumpster or equivalent bin can apply to the franchise holder to be billed at the commercial rate instead of the per-unit residential rate.
All multiple dwelling buildings, including, but not limited to, duplexes, apartments, condominiums, cooperatives, mobile homes and trailer parks, and any other buildings or businesses containing multiple dwelling units which buildings are not a single-family dwelling, shall be charged the residential rate for each dwelling unit, and an additional charge for each dwelling unit requesting additional containers or services; provided, however, an owner of a multiple dwelling building or business, by using Dumpsters or equivalent containers, may make application to the franchise holder to be charged in accordance with the rates for business establishments.(e)There shall be a 20-percent reduction in the residential rate for those persons who have been found eligible for a discount or refund by the Washoe County assessor under the provisions of NRS 361.800 to 361.877, inclusive, and commonly referred to as the "Senior Citizens' Property Tax Assistance Act." Any such person shall be entitled to the reduced rate by making written application to the franchise holder and submitting written proof of the finding of eligibility by the Washoe County Assessor. (Ord. No. 135, § 4; Ord. No. 559; Ord. No. 838; Ord. No. 848)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 20 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
035, only the county's contracted hauler may gather, collect and haul garbage in the part of the unincorporated area where service already operates. 060(1)(d) sets how multi-unit buildings are billed inside that franchise. Duplexes, apartments, condominiums, cooperatives, mobile home parks and any other building with multiple dwelling units that isn't a single-family home are billed the residential rate separately for each unit, plus an added charge for any unit requesting extra containers. The same subsection lets an owner sidestep per-unit billing: by using a Dumpster or an equivalent container, the owner may apply to the franchise holder to be billed under the business-establishment rate schedule instead.
070 has the franchise holder and the commercial customer negotiate the charge, and if they can't agree, the county manager sets it after consulting both sides. on collection day. 100 makes it unlawful to let garbage, rubbish or waste matter collect and remain on any lot, and gives the district health officer authority to decide whether a property's service level is adequate to prevent an unlawful accumulation or health hazard. 110.
Violations & Fines
WCC 90.100 lets the district health officer step in wherever service looks inadequate to stop an unlawful accumulation, and WCC 90.110 separately bans dumping garbage, rubbish or waste matter on any street, lot, ditch or waterway in the county. Neither section states its own fine, so violations fall to the Code's general penalty at WCC 125.050: a fine up to $1,000, up to six months in the county jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation charged as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an apartment complex in Washoe County use one Dumpster instead of individual cans?
Who decides how much a commercial Dumpster account pays?
What happens if a property doesn't keep adequate garbage service?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washoe County
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