Highlands County, FL Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

5-22 makes residential collection mandatory: every dwelling in the unincorporated area must use the franchisee holding the contract for that service area, and the same rule extends to commercial property. The Board of County Commissioners grants franchise contracts for an initial term of five years, with extensions or renewals capped at five years unless the parties agree otherwise, and a franchise cannot be terminated except for cause. 5-23, showing the operator is at least 18, in good standing with the state, properly insured, workers'-compensation compliant, and free of disqualifying criminal findings.

Each certified vehicle must display its certification notice. Residential customers pay through the annual solid waste non-ad valorem assessment rather than billing the hauler directly; commercial customers contract and pay the franchisee under rates capped by the county. A property owner who blocks the franchisee's access by closing a private road must haul solid waste to the nearest public road for collection. New residential accounts get service starting the next regularly scheduled collection day after the county notifies the franchisee. The rule reaches every unincorporated parcel; Sebring, Avon Park and Lake Placid run their own municipal collection outside this chapter.