Pismo Beach, CA Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

Section 17.24.130 C of the 1998 Zoning Code, titled screening of outdoor storage and trash collection areas, says all areas used for storage, or for trash collection, must be located either within a structure or on the least visible portions of a site, and screened from view by enclosure within a solid wall or fence not less than six feet in height. The section points to Figure 2-6 for the illustration. Three follow-on standards sit under it. First, trash and storage areas are screened by landscaping, fencing, berms or other devices integral with the overall site and building design. Second, if a trash area is visible from the upper stories of nearby structures, it incorporates overhead screening such as trellises or solid roofs. Third, outdoor trash storage areas subject to scavenging birds must be enclosed on all sides, and from above, to prevent access by birds.

The same section carries related screening duties for commercial sites. Under § 17.24.130 A.1, non-residential development provides a six-foot high, solid decorative masonry wall along any interior property line abutting a residential zoning district or existing residential use, unless modified by the commission, and A.3 requires screening walls to be architecturally treated on both sides, subject to the approval of the director. Mechanical equipment in the RSM, RR and all non-residential districts must be screened from public view under subsection B.

The enclosure sits alongside the service rules in Chapter 8.13. A commercial business must supply and allow access to an adequate number, size and location of collection containers for employees, contractors, tenants and customers (§ 8.13.050 B.3), and must provide recycling and green containers adjacent to its disposal containers, visible and easily accessible, wherever customers have disposal containers (§ 8.13.050 B.4). Under § 8.12.170 no person other than the contract agent hauls solid waste over city streets while the agent holds the city contract, apart from producer hauling and emergency-removal permit holders.

Pismo Beach uses two adopted zoning codes. The city's Zoning and Land Use page states that properties inside the Coastal Zone are regulated by the 1983 Zoning Code, and properties outside the Coastal Zone are regulated by the 1998 Zoning Code.