Snohomish County, WA Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- SCC 30.25.024
- Fence option
- 6-ft sight-obscuring fence, gaps under 1/4 in.
- Landscaping option
- 5 ft of site-obscuring planting
- Living fence option
- 3 ft at planting, 6 ft within 3 years
- Plant list
- Set by the planning director
- Verified at
- Certificate of occupancy (SCC 30.25.043)
Summary
Unincorporated Snohomish County requires every outdoor dumpster, recycling, or storage area to be screened under SCC 30.25.024. Options are a six-foot sight-obscuring fence with gaps no wider than a quarter inch, five feet of site-obscuring landscaping, or a living fence that reaches six feet within three years, using plant species the planning director approves.
Outside storage areas and waste, dumpster, or recycling areas shall be screened with a six-foot high sight obscuring fence (gaps no greater than 1/4 inch), or by five feet of site-obscuring landscaping, or by a living fence at least three feet in height which will grow to at least six feet in height within three years. The director shall provide a listing of acceptable plant species and planting requirements to be used for a living fence.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through legislation passed August 12, 2026).
Full Breakdown
024 requires outside storage areas and waste, dumpster, or recycling areas to be screened, giving three compliance paths: a six-foot-high sight-obscuring fence with gaps no greater than one-quarter inch, five feet of site-obscuring landscaping, or a living fence at least three feet high at planting that will grow to at least six feet within three years. The planning director maintains the list of acceptable plant species and planting requirements a project must use if it chooses the living-fence option. 024 for their own outdoor storage and waste areas. 043 requires a qualified landscape designer to certify installation before the county issues a certificate of occupancy or finals the building permit.
Violations & Fines
A project cannot get its certificate of occupancy or final building permit approval under SCC 30.25.043 until a qualified landscape designer certifies that dumpster and waste-area screening matches the approved plans. Once installed, SCC 30.25.045 makes the property owner responsible for maintaining the fence or living screen and requires replacement of dead or damaged plant screening within three months, with the department able to require a maintenance security device to back that obligation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Snohomish County require dumpsters to be screened?
Can I use plants instead of a fence to screen a dumpster area?
When does the county check that dumpster screening is actually installed?
Who has to maintain a dumpster screen after it's built?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Snohomish County
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