New York, NY Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

Administrative Code § 19-123 makes it unlawful for anyone using a commercial refuse container, or its owner or lessee, to place it on any New York City street unless the owner has first obtained a permit from the Department of Transportation and the container complies with the section and DOT's rules. DOT sets the purposes and manner for temporary curbside placement, so a hauler cannot simply drop a roll-off wherever a job needs one; the permit ties the container to a specific location and job.

The section also limits what can go in a street-side commercial container: it cannot be used for the deposit of putrescible waste, meaning food scraps, garbage or other decomposable material that could create a public-health nuisance while sitting outdoors, so these permits cover construction debris, demolition material and dry refuse, not household garbage. Two identification and safety rules apply to every permitted container: the owner's name and address plus the DOT permit number must be posted on the box in the manner DOT's rules prescribe, and the container itself must be painted with a phosphorescent substance so its dimensions are clearly visible at night, protecting drivers and cyclists from an unlit obstruction in the roadway.

DOT also requires the pavement under the container to be shielded with wooden planking, skids or another commissioner-approved protective covering, preventing the container's weight from damaging the street surface. A cross-reference in the same subchapter exempts containers already authorized under a § 19-121 obstruction permit, the same permit construction crews use for materials and equipment piled on a street, from having to secure a second, separate § 19-123 permit for a dumpster at the identical site.