Monterey Park, CA Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

The rule sits in Chapter 21.10, Commercial Zones, and covers dumpsters, bins and roll-off containers alike. Every lot must include storage and collection facilities positioned so sight distances, circulation, parking access and driveway access are not impeded, and the City Planner reviews and approves the location and size of every enclosure. Enclosures must sit no closer than five feet to any building or structure on site, and adequate vehicular access must be kept open for the trash hauler's truck. The box itself has to be sized to the hauler's standardized container, with an interior at least four feet deep and seven feet wide.

It needs three solid walls and a solid, decorative, self-closing gate of matching height enclosing the fourth side, topped by a solid cover of durable, decorative non-combustible material; the walls and gate must stand at least five feet tall, and the enclosure with its roof cannot exceed 10 feet total. Walls must be non-combustible, either decorative concrete block or precision block finished in stucco with a decorative trim cap, and the whole structure must borrow the main building's color and finish. Containers must stay out of view from public rights-of-way and adjacent properties at all times, meaning gates stay closed between pickups.

Existing commercial buildings that predate this standard had 12 months from the ordinance's effective date to install a fully enclosed trash enclosure or fall out of compliance.