Nashville, TN Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Quiet hours
- No emptying 11pm-7am near homes
- Trigger distance
- Within 300 feet of a residence
- Lid requirement
- Non-metal lid required
- Label requirement
- 1-inch owner name and phone
- Exceptions
- CC/CF zones or director's written OK
Summary
Metro Nashville bans emptying dumpsters near homes from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. and requires non-metal lids plus a one-inch owner label within 300 feet of residences.
No person shall empty or remove any containers used for the accumulation or handling of garbage or rubbish between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. when said containers are located within three hundred feet of any building or structure used for residential purposes... Any dumpster-type containers located within three hundred feet of any building or structure used for residential purposes must have a non-metal lid and must clearly display on an outside surface a label that includes the owner of the container and a telephone number for the owner, in letters at least one inch tall.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 53 | Charter: Republication 9).
Full Breakdown
Under Metropolitan Code of Laws § 10.20.072, no one may empty or remove garbage or rubbish containers between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. if the container sits within 300 feet of a residential building, unless it's in a CC or CF zone district or the director gives written permission. Any dumpster-type container within that same 300-foot residential radius must carry a non-metal lid and a visible label, in letters at least one inch tall, showing the container owner's name and phone number. This applies metro-wide, both General and Urban Services Districts, since the section isn't limited to Article II's USD provisions.
Violations & Fines
Metro's environmental enforcement officers under Title 10.20 can issue fines up to $50 per day the violation continues, per the chapter's general enforcement section (§ 10.20.090).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business empty a dumpster at midnight in Nashville?
Does a commercial dumpster near homes need a label?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Nashville
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