Port St. Lucie, FL Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

Section 158.232 of the Zoning Code governs where a business or multi-family complex may put its dumpsters. Every non-single-family use that generates refuse must provide one or more enclosed, gated locations for refuse and recycling dumpsters, even if the property also gets curbside pickup, and the Zoning Administrator can only waive that when a multi-family development has fewer than five units per acre and its hauler agrees to curbside service instead. Gates on the enclosure may not face a street whenever that's possible, and an applicant can ask to swap in a screened compactor area during site plan review instead of the standard dumpster pad.

The enclosure itself has to be built to a standard: a five-foot masonry wall on all sides, a solid gate of wood, metal, or similar material bearing a sign that says 'recycle,' and a metal gate frame. Gates can only stand open on the scheduled pickup day and must be closed again right after the truck leaves. The pad has to measure at least 12 feet by 12 feet, though the Zoning Administrator or Site Plan Review Committee can adjust that for a Professional-zoned property, down to 6 by 12 feet, after weighing the site's size and use. Smaller sites, those under 10,000 square feet of nonresidential floor area or fewer than 50 dwelling units, may share one enclosure across an adjoining property line if the owners record a joint-use and maintenance agreement.

On the collection side, Code Section 80.09 requires every mechanical container to carry the director's approval, have four permanently attached solid sides and a bottom, and either an attached lid or, for construction and demolition roll-offs, an open top. Containers have to sit at least three feet from any object or other container so the collection truck can service them.