Alexandria, VA Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Notice period
- 7 days after written notice, Sec. 5-1-82(b)
- Owner/occupant duty
- Keep sufficient approved receptacles, Sec. 5-1-83
- City remedy
- City removes & bills, lien possible
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000, per-day violations
- Enforcing dept.
- Transportation & Environmental Services
Summary
Alexandria bans letting solid waste, ashes, recyclables or yard debris accumulate into a nuisance under City Code Section 5-1-82, gives owners seven days after written notice to clear it, and requires every owner and occupant to keep enough approved containers on the property under Section 5-1-83.
(a) It shall be unlawful to allow, permit, or have an accumulation of ashes, solid waste, recyclable material or yard debris on any premises within the city which tends to create a public nuisance or health problem... (b) ...the occupant, or the owner in the event the premises is unoccupied, shall be given written notice by the director with the request that such accumulation shall be removed within seven days of the receipt of the notice. Should the occupant, or the owner in the event the premises is unoccupied, fail to comply with the request within that time, he shall be considered in violation of this section. ... It shall be the duty of the owner and the occupant of any premises to provide and keep in a suitable place a sufficient number of approved receptacles capable of holding the ashes, recyclable material, yard debris and solid waste from the premises.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 156 | Zoning: Supplement 103).
Full Breakdown
' If the director or an agent finds an immediate danger to life, health or safety from that buildup, the premises is declared to be a public nuisance outright. Section 5-1-82(b) then sets the process: the director gives the occupant, or the owner if the premises is unoccupied, written notice 'with the request that such accumulation shall be removed within seven days of the receipt of the notice,' and failing to comply within that window is itself a violation. ' If an owner of unoccupied property still fails to clear the accumulation after the seven-day notice, Section 5-1-84 lets the Department of Transportation and Environmental Services remove it directly and bill the owner, with any unpaid bill becoming a lien against the property. Section 5-1-81 separately bars dumping household, business or industrial waste into public litter boxes placed around the city to prevent littering.
Violations & Fines
Failing to clear an accumulation within seven days of the Section 5-1-82(b) written notice is a violation enforced by the director of transportation and environmental services under Section 5-1-86, with citations mailed to the occupant. Section 5-1-87 sets the penalty for any Chapter 1 violation, including an uncleared accumulation, at a fine of up to $1,000 upon conviction, with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if trash piles up on my Alexandria property?
Am I required to have a trash can at my Alexandria property?
What's the fine for an Alexandria trash accumulation violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alexandria
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