Jefferson County, MO Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Service
- Mandatory hauler contract required
- Permit
- Hauler must hold valid County hauling permit
- Cost
- Negotiated between hauler and resident
- Ownership
- Waste becomes hauler's property once loaded
- Entry
- Hauler may enter property, not dwellings, without agreement
Summary
Every property owner and occupant in unincorporated Jefferson County that produces solid waste must sign up with a licensed hauler, one carrying a valid County hauling permit, under Section 250.030(A). The resident and hauler negotiate the price, and once waste is loaded onto the truck it legally becomes the hauler's property, not the County's or the resident's.
Waste Collection Required. The owner and/or occupant of every dwelling unit and all institutional, commercial, industrial, agricultural or other establishments producing solid waste in the County shall be required to have solid waste collection service by a hauler of their choice who has a valid Jefferson County hauling permit for the collection, transportation and disposal of solid waste. The cost of such collection shall be negotiated between the hauler and the owner and/or occupant or establishment. Such cost as is incurred shall be borne by the owner and/or occupant or establishment producing the solid waste.
Full Breakdown
060(B), and the cost is negotiated directly between the hauler and the property owner or occupant. 030(B) then settles who owns the waste once it's picked up: everything properly prepared for collection becomes the hauler's property the moment it's loaded onto the truck, except bulky rubbish, which the hauler must still take if it's tied into bundles within reasonable weight and bulk limits. Haulers get a defined right of entry to do the job. 030(D) authorizes a permitted collector to enter private property to collect solid waste as required, but bars the hauler from entering a dwelling or commercial building to collect waste without the owner or occupant's prior agreement. 020, requiring the hauler to pick it up and load it into the truck. 100(4).
Violations & Fines
Producing solid waste without contracting a permitted hauler, or a hauler collecting without a valid Jefferson County hauling permit, is unlawful under Section 250.100(4) and (1) and triggers the Section 250.130 penalty: a fine of up to $1,000, up to a year in jail, or both, plus costs, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense prosecuted by the County Municipal Prosecutor in Jefferson County Municipal Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Am I required to have trash service in Jefferson County?
Can my trash hauler come onto my property without asking?
Who owns my trash after the truck picks it up?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jefferson County
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