Lexington, KY Trash & Recycling: Holiday Pickup Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Holiday collection shift
- Moves to a makeup day, not skipped
- Schedule authority
- Commissioner of environmental quality
- Downtown holidays observed
- Closed only 4 major holidays
- Emergency adjustment
- Commissioner may shift for weather
Summary
When a regular Lexington-Fayette collection day lands on an urban county government holiday, Code of Ordinances § 16-10(a) shifts pickup to a makeup collection day rather than skipping the week, and the commissioner of environmental quality can also adjust the schedule for emergencies or severe weather.
When a scheduled refuse collection day falls on an urban county government holiday, refuse will be collected on a makeup collection day. The commissioner of environmental quality retains the right to adjust schedules in response to emergencies or severe weather. [...] Garbage and trash collection shall be made during an a.m. cycle between 2:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. and a p.m. cycle between 2:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., including Saturdays and holidays, except Christmas, New Year's, Fourth of July and Thanksgiving...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Republication | Zoning Ordinance: Republication).
Full Breakdown
Section 16-10(a) is the operative rule for residential and standard commercial collection: garbage service normally runs once a week on the same day every week, but when that scheduled day coincides with an urban county government holiday, the section directs that refuse be collected instead on a makeup collection day rather than being skipped until the following week. The section doesn't list the specific makeup day or the holidays observed, those are set administratively by the Division of Waste Management and published on the urban county government's collection calendar, but it does give the commissioner of environmental quality express authority to adjust collection schedules beyond the holiday shift, for example in response to emergencies or severe weather events that make normal routes unsafe.
cycle that runs seven days a week, including most holidays, and is suspended only for Christmas, New Year's, Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving, a narrower list of closures than the standard residential makeup-day rule implies. Residents and businesses outside the downtown area should expect their pickup to move to a makeup day, not disappear, whenever a holiday falls on their regular route day.
Violations & Fines
There's no separate fine tied to the holiday shift itself, it's a scheduling rule, not a placement rule, but once the makeup day is set, the standard section 16-10(b) curb-timing and section 16-10(c) notice-of-violation process still apply to carts left out before or after the makeup collection window.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to my Lexington trash pickup on a holiday?
Does downtown Lexington get holiday trash collection?
Can severe weather delay Lexington trash pickup?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lexington
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