Littleton, CO Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

D, the design chapter's Screening standards, adopted by Ordinance No. 20, Series of 2023, effective October 13, 2023. It applies to nonresidential and mixed-use development reviewed under a Site Plan or Master Development Plan, covering the NC, CM, BC and IP districts along with the Downtown Main Street, Downtown Transition Area and Downtown Mixed-Use districts. Every private outdoor trash receptacle, recycling receptacle, dumpster and grease collection container must be enclosed on all sides, not merely fenced along the front. The enclosure needs a pedestrian gate for foot access and separate opaque gates sized for a collection truck, so containers are never visible from the street or a neighboring lot.

Builders can use textured concrete block, split-face block, brick, stone, or wood or composite fencing, but the material must match or closely resemble the dominant material on the main building, not a generic chain-link cage. 1, the Trash Enclosure Detail, and reviewers compare submitted plans against that figure. Landscaping around the enclosure is optional, added only to soften its visual impact, not a substitute for the required walls and gates. A related loading-area provision in the same subsection requires any trash or recycling container that is not inside a full enclosure, such as one staged in a loading dock area, to carry a tight-fitting solid lid at all times.