Anoka County, MN Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Operating License
- Required from Anoka County (Sec. 3.2)
- Base License
- Required from hauler's home county (Sec. 3.2)
- Rate rule
- Rates must rise with volume/weight (Sec. 6.10)
- Rate notice
- New customers and twice yearly (Sec. 6.10)
- Storage limit
- 24 hours in truck/container (Sec. 6.5)
- Vehicle ID
- 4-inch letters; containers 2-inch (Sec. 6.3)
- Unlicensed hauling
- Misdemeanor (Sec. 7.1)
Summary
Anoka County licenses every hauler that collects residential trash in the unincorporated county and sets the rules for how that pickup runs: rates must rise with the volume or weight put out, containers can't sit on the truck more than 24 hours, and haulers must post their name and phone number on every vehicle and container. Ordinance No. 2018-2 sets it out.
6.3 Identification. The business name and telephone number of the Hauler shall be printed or painted in legible characters on both sides of all vehicles and at a minimum the front and back of all containers... Characters used in said labeling shall be at least four (4) inches in height for all vehicles and at least two (2) inches in height for all containers... 6.5 Storage in Vehicles. The Hauler shall not allow mixed municipal solid waste to remain or be stored in any collection or transportation vehicle or container, following collection, in excess of 24 hours, except over a Sunday or holiday when the Facility is closed or in the event of an emergency such as inclement weather, equipment breakdown or accident. 6.10 Volume or Weight Based Rates and Charges. The Hauler shall impose charges on residential and commercial customers for the collection of Mixed Municipal Solid Waste that increase with the volume or weight of the waste collected.
Full Breakdown
Under the Regional Mixed Municipal Solid Waste Hauler Licensing Ordinance, No. 2018-2, adopted jointly by Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington Counties, no hauler may collect or transport residential solid waste generated in Anoka County without both a Base License from its home county and an Operating License from Anoka County (Sec. 0800, adopted by reference (Sec. 1). 10 requires the hauler to charge residential and commercial customers rates that increase with the volume or weight of waste collected, to give new residential customers, and all residential customers twice a year, written notice of that rate structure, and to provide a fee schedule to any residential customer who asks.
13 requires a multiple-unit pricing system, with a County Board-set base unit volume and higher per-unit prices above it. Collected waste can't sit in a truck or container more than 24 hours after pickup, except over a Sunday or holiday when the disposal facility is closed, or during an equipment breakdown or bad weather (Sec. 5). Every vehicle and container must carry the hauler's business name and phone number in letters at least four inches tall on vehicles and two inches tall on containers (Sec.
3). Haulers must also keep a daily record of the origin, type, and weight or volume of the waste collected and where it was dumped (Sec. 12). Violating the ordinance is a misdemeanor, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense, and the County can suspend or revoke a Base or Operating License for repeated or serious violations (Secs. 4).
Violations & Fines
Collecting or transporting residential trash in Anoka County without a valid Base and Operating License is a misdemeanor, with a separate offense for each day it continues, and the county can pursue injunctive relief or recover its enforcement costs and attorney's fees in civil court. The Department can suspend or revoke a hauler's Base or Operating License for violating licensing conditions or the ordinance's equipment, billing, or recordkeeping rules, and revocation of a Base License automatically suspends every Operating License tied to it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who actually licenses my trash hauler in unincorporated Anoka County?
Can my hauler charge me a flat rate no matter how much trash I put out?
How long can my trash sit in the collection truck before disposal?
What has to be printed on the garbage truck and my cart?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Anoka County
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