Chesterfield County, VA Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- one per collection truck
- License fee
- $5.00 per truck, renewed annually
- Surety bond
- sized to business, capped at $5,000.00
- Insurance minimum
- $20,000/$30,000 injury, $5,000 property
- Trucks
- must have tight-fitting covers
- License revocation
- for nuisance or unreasonable service
Summary
Anyone paid to collect, transport or dump trash in Chesterfield County must hold a license from the director of general services under Sec. 11-12, one per truck. Licensed haulers must render reasonable service and avoid creating a nuisance or excess noise under Sec. 11-17, or face license revocation.
Sec. 11-17. - Manner of collection generally; revocation of license for violations. Licensees authorized to collect or transport waste collected from others pursuant to this article shall render reasonable service to their clients in the interest of public health, and their employees shall be physically and mentally capable of performing the required duties. Waste shall be collected in such a manner that it neither creates a nuisance, or adversely affects public health, nor creates any unnecessary noise. Licensees and their employees must obey all applicable laws of the commonwealth, ordinances of the county, and rules and regulations of the commonwealth and county health departments. Failure to comply with the terms of this article shall be grounds for revocation or suspension of such license by the director of general services, who may immediately revoke any license upon receiving notice of any violation or failure to comply with this article.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
Article II of Chapter 11, 'Compensated Collectors,' governs anyone paid to pick up trash, refuse or garbage in the county, which is how most Chesterfield residents actually get service, since the county itself doesn't run collection trucks. Sec. 11-12 requires a license from the director of general services for every truck used to collect or transport waste for pay; no truck may operate without one. Getting licensed under Secs. 00 for bodily injury. Sec. 11-15 requires a metal plate or decal on the truck and the owner's name in letters at least three inches high.
Sec. 11-16 bars transferring a license to someone else. Sec. 11-17 requires collectors to 'render reasonable service' and collect waste 'in such a manner that it neither creates a nuisance, or adversely affects public health, nor creates any unnecessary noise,' with failure grounds for the director of general services to revoke or suspend the license. Sec. 11-18 requires tight-fitting truck covers to stop litter, and Sec. 11-19 subjects trucks to health department inspection.
Violations & Fines
A collector who lets waste scatter from an uncovered truck, which Sec. 11-18 requires covers to prevent, commits a class 1 misdemeanor and must immediately clean the road; breaking any Article II rule, unreasonable service, nuisance, unclean trucks, is grounds for the director of general services to revoke or suspend the hauler's license under Sec. 11-17.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can anyone just start picking up trash for pay in Chesterfield County?
What does it take to get a hauler's license?
Can the county pull a hauler's license?
What happens if trash falls off a collection truck onto the road?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chesterfield County
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