San Luis Obispo County, CA Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Collection window
- 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. only
- Protected areas
- Residential districts, schools, churches, hospitals, motels, hotels
- Enforced by
- County health officer, county engineer, auditor-controller
- Violation class
- Infraction under § 8.12.910(a)
- Fine range
- $50 first, $100 second, $250 additional (§ 1.04.010(c))
Summary
San Luis Obispo County Code Section 8.12.230 sets collection windows for franchised trash and recyclables haulers. Each permittee must run a regular collection schedule fixed in its county permit, and no collection may run in residential districts, or at schools, churches, hospitals, offices, motels or hotels adjacent to those districts, before 6 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
(a)Each collection permittee shall provide a minimum regular collection schedule for his or her customers within the territory specified by permit. The schedule shall be set forth in the permit authorizing collection.(b)No collections shall be made in residential districts or at schools, churches, hospitals, offices, motels, hotels or commercial establishments adjacent to such residential districts prior to six a.m. or after nine p.m.
Full Breakdown
12 of the County Code, Solid Waste Management, licenses every hauler that collects garbage and recyclables in the unincorporated county through a collection permit. 230(a) requires each permittee to set a minimum regular collection schedule and to spell that schedule out in the permit the county issues. m. 220 (weekly for households, twice weekly for restaurants and food businesses). 120. can report it to county code enforcement or the health officer's office, which can act against the permittee's franchise standing as well as cite the hauler directly.
Because the rule is written to the permittee, not the customer, a homeowner who puts a bin out early is not the one at risk of citation; the collection company that runs the route outside the window is.
Violations & Fines
Running a collection route in a residential district, or at an adjacent school, church, hospital, office, motel or hotel, before 6 a.m. or after 9 p.m. violates Section 8.12.230(b) and is classified an infraction under Section 8.12.910(a). Under the county's general penalty section, Section 1.04.010(c), an infraction carries a fine of not more than $50 for a first violation, $100 for a second within a year, and $250 for each further violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time can trash trucks start collecting in San Luis Obispo County?
Who is responsible if a hauler collects trash too early?
Does this rule set how often trash gets picked up, or just the hours?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Luis Obispo County
California rules heatmap·Compare San Luis Obispo County to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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