Washington County, UT Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Placement rule
- Washington County Code § 10-17-9
- Requirement
- Screened, accessible collection area
- R-2/R-3 surround
- Masonry with sight-obscuring gate
- Hauler license
- Required by Special Service District No. 1
- General penalty
- Class B misdemeanor, up to 6 months
- Unauthorized dumping
- Class C misdemeanor, per day
Summary
Washington County requires every commercial, manufacturing, warehouse or retail project in the unincorporated area to provide a dumpster collection area that is screened from street view and kept clean and sanitary. Only a hauler licensed by Special Service District No. 1 may collect commercial waste, and unpermitted dumping or hauling is a criminal offense.
10-17-9: GARBAGE COLLECTION ACCESS: All projects requiring central garbage collection (dumpsters) shall provide convenient access to collection areas. Collection areas shall be screened from street views and shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary manner. (Ord. 2001-815-O, 12-17-2001, eff. 12-17-2001)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-17: Code current through: Ord. 2026-1329-O, passed 8-18-2026).
Full Breakdown
County Code § 10-17-9, part of the off-street parking and loading chapter, tells any project "requiring central garbage collection (dumpsters)" that it must provide convenient access to the collection area and that the area must be screened from street views and maintained in a clean, sanitary condition. This section sits inside Chapter 17, the same chapter that sets off-street loading space requirements (§ 10-17-7) for manufacturing, storage, warehouse, department store, grocery, hotel and hospital uses that receive or ship goods by vehicle, so a roll-off or front-load dumpster serving one of those uses has to sit in a screened, accessible pad rather than out in a parking aisle or landscape strip.
H is more specific: the dumpster must sit inside a surround built of masonry with a sight-obscuring gate. On the hauling side, § 4-2-7 bars any private or commercial hauler from collecting or disposing of commercial solid waste generated within the unincorporated county unless the hauler first obtains a license from Washington County Special Service District No. 1, the district that also runs the county landfill. C.
Violations & Fines
Washington County's general penalty clause, § 1-4-1, makes violation of a county ordinance a class B misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to the statutory class B maximum under Utah Code § 76-3-301 and up to six months in jail, and that clause covers an unscreened or improperly placed commercial dumpster under § 10-17-9 since that section sets no separate fine. Hauling or dumping commercial solid waste without the district license required by § 4-2-7, or dumping outside the landfill or a designated station under § 4-2-8, is a class C misdemeanor, with each day of continued violation treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does a commercial dumpster have to go on a property in unincorporated Washington County?
Does a dumpster need an enclosure in a two-family or multi-family zone?
Can any hauling company drop off a roll-off dumpster for commercial trash?
What is the penalty for an unscreened or illegally placed dumpster?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
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