Somerville, MA Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

Under the city's Regulations for the Removal or Transportation of Trash, no dumpster of 75-gallon capacity or more, including commercial grease containers, may be used in Somerville without a Board of Health license, applied for through the Inspectional Services Department Health Division. The license runs $100 per dumpster and expires every June 30; the hauling company that services the dumpster needs its own annual Dumpster Hauler License, which costs $330 and requires a worker's compensation insurance affidavit and a list of every Somerville account it services.

m. Every dumpster must display the name of the licensed business, the disposal company's name, address and phone number, and it must sit on pavement or concrete, never bare soil, at a distance from the lot line sufficient to protect abutters and clear of any sightline obstruction to traffic. The Board of Health can order a site screened or enclosed, order a size increase or additional pickups, and require multi-unit residential dumpsters to get routine weekly pickups. No dumpster may be placed on a city street without separate permission from the Department of Public Works. 000. Health inspectors conduct unannounced inspections at any time and can enter the licensee's property to check compliance.