Spokane Valley, WA Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Enclosure height
- Six-foot-high fence, all four sides
- Screening standard
- 100 percent sight obscuring
- Applies to
- Multifamily and nonresidential projects
- Exempt
- Industrial-zoned projects
- Right-of-way placement
- Treated as nuisance under § 7.05.040(R)
- First violation penalty
- $500 civil penalty
Summary
Spokane Valley requires every dumpster serving a multifamily or nonresidential property to sit inside a six-foot-high, fully sight-obscuring fence on all four sides. The rule applies citywide except in industrial-zoned projects, and it sits inside the same landscaping chapter that also sets parking lot screening and street tree standards.
A. Applicability. The provisions of SVMC § 22.70.080 shall apply to multifamily and nonresidential projects. These provisions shall not apply to projects located in an industrial zoning district. B. Dumpsters shall be enclosed on all four sides by a six-foot-high, 100 percent sight obscuring fence.
Full Breakdown
070. Industrial-zoned projects are the only category excluded from the dumpster-screening requirement. 70's broader site-development landscaping standards, which also require parking lot planting, headlight screening, and buffer screening for adjoining land uses, so a dumpster enclosure reviewed at permitting is typically checked alongside those other landscaping requirements rather than as a stand-alone approval. 090: all required screening and plant material must be installed to match approved plans before a certificate of occupancy issues, and the property owner is responsible for maintaining it afterward. 090(I) referencing the International Fire Code. 040(R), regardless of whether the on-site screening rule was met.
Violations & Fines
Failing to screen a required dumpster, or placing one in the right-of-way, is a Title 22 or Chapter 7.05 code violation enforced through Chapter 17.100: the city manager may issue a notice and order, and civil penalties start at $500 for a first violation, rise to $1,000 for a second within three years, and $2,000 for each later violation, plus city cost recovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Spokane Valley require dumpster enclosures for businesses?
Can I leave a roll-off dumpster in the street or right-of-way?
Who has to maintain a dumpster enclosure once it's built?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Spokane Valley
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