Aurora, CO Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum frequency
- At least once a week
- Earliest curb placement
- 5:00 p.m. day before pickup
- Must remove container within
- 12 hours after collection
- Hauler requirement
- City-registered trash hauler only
- Enforcement
- Notice, hearing, then city abatement/lien
Summary
Aurora, Colorado requires weekly garbage and debris removal by a city-registered hauler, with containers set at the curb no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before collection and pulled back within 12 hours after pickup.
(a) Frequency of removal. All garbage, rubbish and debris shall be removed from each ownership at least once a week and at more frequent intervals if found necessary. ... (c) It shall be unlawful for any person to deposit any garbage, rubbish and debris container on the right-of-way abutting any public street or within any front yard ... prior to 5:00 p.m. on the calendar day before the collection of garbage, rubbish and debris or to leave the garbage, rubbish and debris container ... more than 12 hours after collection of the garbage and debris therefrom.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-30, passed June 22, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Under City Code § 114-29, every property owner in Aurora must have garbage, rubbish and debris removed at least once a week, by a registered trash hauler using a registered collection vehicle, unless the director of neighborhood services grants an exemption for self-haul. Containers may not be set on the street right-of-way, front yard, or corner-lot side yard earlier than 5:00 p.m. the calendar day before scheduled collection, and must be pulled back within 12 hours after pickup. Related § 114-27 requires sealed, rodent-proof containers kept behind the front building line.
Violations & Fines
Deposit or leave a container out-of-window is a code violation; the city may issue a notice of violation and summons, hold a hearing at arraignment, and, after a 5- or 30-day cure period, abate the violation itself and place a lien (cost plus 15% admin fee) on the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Aurora
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