Palmdale, CA Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

Any project applying for a building permit after Title 17's effective date must provide adequate, accessible refuse, recycling, and organic waste collection areas; single-family and multifamily homes without shared containers are exempt from the enclosure requirement but must keep individual bins screened from public view except on collection day (§ 17.85.020(A)-(B)). Collection and compactor areas must be located inside buildings or inside enclosures along alleys or in rear/side parking areas, and are prohibited in any required front setback, street side setback, required parking spaces, landscape areas, or open space (§ 17.85.020(C)(1)).

Enclosures must be set back a minimum of 10 feet from any structure, 25 feet from any public street, 15 feet from a private street, and, in nonresidential areas, 20 feet from residentially zoned property, and cannot be positioned so a parked vehicle or collection truck obstructs the other (§ 17.85.020(C)(2)-(3)). The distance from a building entry to the trash enclosure should generally not exceed 150 feet (§ 17.85.020(C)(4)). Access driveways or travel aisles serving the enclosure must be at least 16 feet wide and paved, provide a minimum 15 feet of vertical clearance (25 feet in loading areas), and a 26/46-foot turning radius must be available where the driveway doesn't run street to street; a concrete apron at least 10 feet by 20 feet must be built in front of each exterior enclosure, though the Director may waive the pad if existing asphalt has held up (§ 17.85.020(D)). When a site is retrofitted, the new enclosure location must be reviewed by the local disposal service and approved by the Director.