Rochester Hills, MI Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

Section 138-10.311 covers dumpster and trash storage screening. Paragraph A requires the location of trash receptacles, compactors, recycling, shredding and grease bins to appear on the site plan, sited to facilitate collection while minimizing impact on the development, neighboring properties, site traffic patterns and any public right-of-way. Paragraph B requires screening on three sides by decorative masonry walls compatible with the building's other exterior materials, with an enclosure door or gate built of steel with a decorative wood or other durable decorative face, and concrete or metal bollards placed between the receptacle and the enclosure's rear wall.

Paragraph B.1 adds that a trash compactor must be screened with a decorative wall matched to the compactor's height and the building's architecture, or an equivalent alternative approved by the Planning Department or Planning Commission. Paragraph C sets the screen height at six feet and requires the walls to stay structurally sound and visually neat, bars trash from overflowing the receptacle, and requires siting to minimize visibility from adjacent streets and uses while remaining accessible without blocking vehicular traffic. This screening requirement sits within Article 10, Chapter 3's general provisions of the Zoning Ordinance and applies at the site-plan review stage for new commercial, industrial and multifamily development rather than to individual residential trash carts, which are addressed separately in the city's solid waste chapter.