San Jose, CA Trash & Recycling: Holiday Pickup Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- No-collection holidays
- Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day
- Weekday holiday shift
- Collection one day later throughout the rest of that week
- Normal collection window
- Between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday - Friday, once per week
- Code postponement rule
- § 9.10.520(B)(3): next working day of the Solid Waste Collector
- Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day
- Nov. 26, 2026; Dec. 25, 2026; Jan. 1, 2027
- Newest dated flyer
- 2025-2026, created November 7, 2025; coming season not posted
- Missed pickup report
- 3-1-1 or (408) 535-3500 if not picked up by 6 p.m.
Summary
San Jose residential collection runs on every holiday except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day, according to the city's Residential Homes Collection & Setouts page. When one of those three falls Monday through Friday, collection is one day later throughout the rest of that week. Municipal Code § 9.10.520(B)(3) lets the collector postpone service to the next working day. No flyer for the coming season is posted yet.
A. No person shall keep any Solid Waste or allow any Solid Waste to remain upon any Premises within the City for more than seven (7) days. At least once a week all Solid Waste generated within or on any Premises in the City shall be removed from the Premises and disposed of in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter. B. The requirement of subsection A. for weekly removal and disposal or Processing of Solid Waste shall not apply under qualifying extenuating circumstances specified in the collector's agreement with the City or under the following circumstances: ... 3. Official holidays interrupt the normal seven (7)-day collection cycle, in which case collections may be postponed to the next working day of the Solid Waste Collector.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 5 Update 3).
Full Breakdown
The city's own wording is short: "Collection occurs on all holidays except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day. If these holidays occur Monday through Friday, collection will be one day later throughout the rest of that week." It sits on the City of San José Environmental Services page for residential homes, beside the normal schedule: "Collection for all material occurs between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday - Friday, once per week."
The code supplies the legal footing. Section 9.10.520(A) requires weekly removal of Solid Waste from every Premises in the City and bars keeping it more than seven (7) days. Subsection (B)(3) excuses that duty when official holidays interrupt the normal seven (7)-day collection cycle, and lets collections be postponed to the next working day of the Solid Waste Collector. The code names no holiday, so the three exceptions come only from the city's page.
On the 2026 calendar, Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 26, 2026, Christmas Day is Friday, December 25, 2026, and New Year's Day is Friday, January 1, 2027. Each is a weekday, so the shift rule applies. The page does not name Christmas Eve (Thursday, December 24, 2026), New Year's Eve (Thursday, December 31, 2026) or Veterans Day (Wednesday, November 11, 2026) as no-collection days, and Veterans Day is not among the three excepted holidays.
The page leaves two things open. It prints no year beside the rule, and it does not say in words which day Friday customers are served when the holiday is itself a Friday, as Christmas Day and New Year's Day both are. The newest dated flyer linked is Holiday Collection and Holiday Tree Recycling 2025-2026, created on November 7, 2025, with nothing yet posted for the coming season. That prior-season postcard words the rule as "If your regular collection day falls on or after one of these holidays, your collection will be delayed by one day." and covers Garbage, Recycling, and Yard Trimmings.
Violations & Fines
A holiday shift is not a violation. The weekly-removal duty in § 9.10.520(A) belongs to Chapter 9.10, and § 9.10.3040 lets the City prosecute violations of the Chapter criminally, civilly or administratively, separately or together with other remedies, at its sole discretion. Section 9.10.1040 bars setting out residential solid wastes except as that part provides. The city's page sets the cart window: no later than 6 a.m. on your collection day and no earlier than the day before.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is garbage picked up on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day in San Jose?
When is the make-up day after a San Jose holiday?
Is Veterans Day a collection day in San Jose?
When are holiday trees picked up in San Jose?
What do I do if my pickup is missed in holiday week?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Jose
California rules heatmap·Compare San Jose to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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