Adams County, CO Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Insurance minimum
- $150,000 per person / $400,000 aggregate
- Vehicle rule
- Leak-proof, tarped, labeled both sides
- Records kept
- 2 years: notices and weight tickets
- Disposal
- State-approved facilities or recyclers only
- Rates
- Unregulated, set by the hauler
- Max fine
- $1,000 per day, graduated by offense
Summary
Ordinance No. 17 requires every unincorporated Adams County trash hauler to run leak-proof, tarped vehicles labeled with the company name and phone number, carry at least $150,000 per person and $400,000 aggregate liability coverage, dump only at state-approved facilities, and keep customer and weight-ticket records for two years.
All compaction and roll-off vehicles designed and used for hauling putrescible (liquid-containing) wastes, are leak proof at all times during operation. ... Any vehicle or container transporting solid waste, other than by an individual who transports solid waste that he or she has generated, shall have a label containing the name and telephone number of the Solid Waste Hauler printed on both the right and left side of the vehicle, or on the street-facing side of the container, in letters or numbers that are reasonably legible. ... Solid Waste Haulers shall insure each vehicle operated in the performance of waste hauling services through a policy issued by an insurance carrier or insurer authorized to do business in the State of Colorado, in the sum of not less than $150,000.00 for damages for, or on account of, any bodily injury to, or the death of, each person as the result of any one accident; in the sum of not less than $150,000.00 for damages to the property of others as the result of any one accident; and in the total sum of not less than $400,000.00 for, or on account of, any bodily injury to, or the death of, all persons and for damages to the property of others.
Full Breakdown
Ordinance No. 17, adopted January 9, 2024 and effective February 17, 2024, sets operating standards for every Solid Waste Hauler licensed in unincorporated Adams County. Compaction and roll-off vehicles hauling liquid-containing waste must stay leak-proof at all times, with well-maintained compaction blades and intact hopper seals; open-bed and open-top trucks must carry a tarp sized to cover the whole load, and any sideboards or tailgate must be built of sturdy, permanent material. Every hauling vehicle or waste container, other than one used by someone hauling their own waste, must display the hauler's name and phone number on both the right and left sides of the vehicle, or on the street-facing side of a container, in legible letters.
Haulers must insure each vehicle for at least $150,000 per person and $150,000 in property damage per accident, with a $400,000 aggregate per-accident limit, and must deliver everything they collect only to state-approved disposal or recycling facilities. The county doesn't regulate what a hauler charges: rates are entirely the licensee's call. Haulers must keep two years of records documenting customer recycling notices and weight-ticket receipts from every disposal or recycling facility they use, and file an annual diversion report through ReTRAC Connect by January 31.
Violations & Fines
Violating the vehicle, labeling, insurance, disposal or recordkeeping standards is a civil infraction under C.R.S. § 30-15-402(1), punishable by up to $1,000, with criminal prosecution also possible. The county applies a graduated schedule for repeat offenders: up to $500 a day for a first or second offense, at least $750 a day for a third, and up to $1,000 a day after that, plus a $10 surcharge, and every noncompliant day counts as its own violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What has to be printed on a trash truck in Adams County?
How much liability insurance must a licensed hauler carry?
Can I haul my own construction debris without a hauler license?
What happens if a hauler operates without an Adams County license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Adams County
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