Paramount, CA Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Enclosure distance
- Within 100 feet of each building
- Walls
- Six-inch reinforced block, at least six feet high
- Truck access
- 42-foot turning radius and 20 feet overhead clearance
- Minimum opening
- Nine feet including gates and hinges
- Landscape screening
- Hedges or vines kept four to five feet high
- Governing section
- Paramount Municipal Code § 17.118.040
Summary
In the City of Paramount, California, commercial, industrial, institutional and residential properties with five or more housing units must provide a trash enclosure within 100 feet of each building. Walls are six-inch reinforced block at least six feet high, the collection route needs a 42-foot turning radius and 20 feet of overhead clearance.
a. Distance from Building. There shall be provided and maintained within 100 feet of each building, an enclosure for the purpose of storing garbage, waste, refuse, trash, nonorganic recyclables, and organic waste of all persons utilizing said parcel. b. Access. Maneuvering areas shall meet the minimum requirements of equivalent size loading area. A turnaround must be provided for any street, driveway, or travel aisle that would otherwise require the collection vehicle to back up a distance greater than 100 feet. A minimum of a 42-foot turning radius is required for solid waste collection vehicles. c. Overhead Clearance. Overhead clearance of 20 feet must be provided in front of the enclosure to allow containers to be emptied by the front-end loader collection vehicles. ... a. Block Construction. Said enclosure for the purpose of storing garbage, waste, refuse, trash, nonorganic recyclables, and organic waste shall have on each side thereof a solid masonry wall constructed of minimum six-inch reinforced block, of not less than six feet in height except for openings.
Full Breakdown
Section 17.118.040 of the Paramount Municipal Code, added by Ord. 1207 on October 28, 2025, governs the dumpster enclosure for non-residential properties and residential properties with five or more housing units. The enclosure has to hold the garbage, waste, refuse, trash, nonorganic recyclables and organic waste of everyone using the parcel, and every container, bin and barrel stays inside its walls except while a collector empties it.
Access comes first. Maneuvering areas meet the minimum requirements of an equivalent size loading area, a turnaround is required wherever a collection vehicle would otherwise back up more than 100 feet, and solid waste collection vehicles need a minimum 42-foot turning radius. Overhead clearance of 20 feet must be provided in front of the enclosure so front-end loader vehicles can empty containers.
Construction is specific. Each side has a solid masonry wall of minimum six-inch reinforced block, not less than six feet high except for openings. Gates or doors have a fully operating self-closing device, are not less than five feet high, and are made of solid noncombustible material with latches and bolts. The enclosure opening, including gates and hinges, must provide a minimum nine-foot opening. The floor is a concrete pad flush with the adjacent driveway, with a six-inch-wide by eight-inch-high concrete curb at the base of interior walls. The roof is a sloped noncombustible solid roof, and the storage area needs a minimum of eight feet of vertical clearance. Containers need overlapping fly-tight lids secured when not being filled or emptied. The Building and Safety Division reviews structural and accessibility details.
Other duties follow. After Planning Division review, hedges or vines kept between four and five feet high screen visible sides. Expanding an existing enclosure that costs one parking space beyond the Chapter 17.44 minimum needs an Administrative Permit. Properties with four or fewer housing units follow section 17.118.030 instead, with containers from the City's solid waste contractor.
Violations & Fines
Subsection B of section 17.118.040 makes it unlawful to deposit, maintain, accumulate or dispose of garbage, waste, refuse, trash, organic waste or nonorganic recyclables outside a building except as the section authorizes, and puts the responsibility on the person associated with the property to fix it. Section 1.04.150 sets the general penalty: a misdemeanor unless charged as an infraction, with building and safety infractions fined up to $100.00, $500.00 and $1,000.00 for first, second and third convictions within a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How close must a dumpster enclosure be to the building?
What are the wall and gate standards for a trash enclosure?
Can I leave the dumpster outside the enclosure?
What if the enclosure is too small?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Paramount
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