Pomona, CA Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- City Code Secs. 62-811 through 62-814
- Street placement limit
- 24 hours max, curb-adjacent, during dumping only
- Downtown lock rule
- Enclosure, self-locking lid, or padlock required
- Compliance deadline
- 60 days from notice of enactment
- Bin construction
- Metal, tight-fitting lid, reflectorized sides
- Tampering ban
- Only owner, agent, city or hauler may move a bin
Summary
Commercial and multifamily bins in Pomona must stay off city streets except during active dumping, and even then for no more than 24 hours next to the curb. Every outdoor bin must be kept lid-closed, and downtown-district dumpsters need a locking enclosure or self-closing lid under City Code Division 5, Containers.
All solid waste containers or bins left outdoors, whether residential, industrial, institutional, multifamily, or commercial, shall be stored with the lid closed or otherwise securely fastened to reduce pests, unlawful disposal and/or scavenging and to exclude rain. ... Solid waste containers or bins will not be stored upon city streets. When dumping operations are conducted on city streets, bins or containers will be allowed on the street, provided that such containers are located directly adjacent to the parkway curbing or the like, and shall remain in such a location for a maximum period of 24 hours during dumping operations. Bins or containers will not be allowed on city streets during posted street sweeping, parking, or other restricted periods. All containers shall meet the requirements as established in sections 62-811 and 62-812.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Code: Supplement 31).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 62's Division 5 (Containers) governs commercial dumpsters and roll-off bins. Sec. 62-811 requires every multifamily, commercial, industrial or institutional occupant to keep "sufficient portable containers or trash bins" so solid waste never overflows a regular collection schedule. Sec. 62-812(a) requires all outdoor bins, residential or commercial, to be stored lid-closed or otherwise securely fastened to keep out pests, rain, unlawful dumping and scavenging. Sec. 62-812(b) adds a locking rule specific to the downtown specific plan area: every dumpster there must sit in a fully enclosed masonry or concrete structure with a self-closing, self-locking door, or carry an operational self-closing locking lid, or be padlocked, with the lock under the exclusive control of whoever places materials in it.
Trash compactors are exempted from the enclosure rule if kept inside a building and free of nuisance conditions. Sec. 62-813 bars storing bins on city streets outright; during active dumping operations a bin may sit at the curb for a maximum of 24 hours and never during posted street-sweeping or other restricted periods. Placement under the related multifamily/commercial service rule, Sec. 62-703, must also stay clear of obstructions to public areas and rights-of-way, be built of metal with tight-fitting lids, carry the business's name and phone number in one-inch letters, and be fitted with reflectorized devices on all four sides so approaching drivers can see the bin in the dark.
Sec. 62-814 separately bars anyone but the owner, an agent, or a city or hauler employee from tampering with, moving or emptying a placed container.
Violations & Fines
Noncompliant downtown-area dumpster owners had 60 calendar days from notice of the locking-enclosure rule's enactment to comply before being in violation under Sec. 62-812(e). Violations of the solid waste article are enforceable under Chapter 62's general Division 5 and 6 remedies, including administrative citation and prosecution as a misdemeanor or infraction under Article X of the City Code; each shared container's users bear a joint duty to keep it locked and secured under Sec. 62-812(f).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business store its dumpster on a Pomona street?
Do downtown Pomona businesses need a locked dumpster enclosure?
What size or type of container does Pomona require for commercial waste?
Can someone else use or move my business's dumpster in Pomona?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pomona
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