McCracken County, KY Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Service requirement
- Mandatory outsourced private collection (§ 111.15)
- Licensing
- Hauler needs current county business license
- Entry authority
- Property yes, dwelling unit no (§ 111.18)
- Contractor status
- Independent, not county employees (§ 111.16)
- General penalty
- Up to $250 per offense (§ 10.99)
Summary
McCracken County Code § 111.15 requires every household in unincorporated McCracken County to be served by a licensed private solid waste hauler rather than leaving pickup optional, and § 111.18 gives that contracted hauler authority to enter private property to collect waste, though it may not enter the home itself.
(A) In order to provide access to household solid waste collection to each household solid waste generator within the non-incorporated area of the county in a manner that promotes fiscal responsibility while ensuring quality service, the county has elected to allow private solid waste collection independent contractors to compete on the open market for providing their services to individual household solid waste generators. ... Solid waste collectors operating under a contract with the individual household solid waste generator are hereby authorized to enter upon private property for the purpose of collecting solid waste therefrom as required by this chapter. Solid waste collectors shall not enter dwelling units or other residential buildings for the purpose of collecting residential solid waste.
Full Breakdown
Section 111.15(A) states that the county has elected to allow private solid waste collection independent contractors to compete for the business of serving every household generator in the unincorporated county, so pickup is mandatory countywide even though the county itself does not run the trucks. Section 111.15(C) limits that market to contractors holding a current county business license, currently Jones Sanitation Holdings, LLC (Freedom Waste), Republic Services, and Waste Path. Section 111.16 makes clear those haulers work strictly as independent contractors, not as county employees or agents, so the county exercises no direction over how a contractor performs its route.
Section 111.18 authorizes a hauler operating under a contract with a household to enter that household's private property to collect the waste as Chapter 111 requires, but the same section bars the collector from entering the dwelling unit or any other residential building to do so. Read together, these sections establish the basic deal: a resident cannot opt out of contracting with a licensed hauler, the county does not police the details of a contractor's route or schedule, and a hauler's entry right stops at the property line into a building.
Complaints about a hauler acting outside these limits go through the county's licensing and Code Enforcement process rather than a franchise agreement, since the county's role is limited to authorizing and licensing the market.
Violations & Fines
A hauler collecting without holding a current county business license under § 111.15(C), or one that enters a dwelling unit or residential building rather than stopping at the yard under § 111.18, is out of compliance with Chapter 111. Unless another penalty applies, violations fall under the general penalty of § 10.99: a fine of not more than $250 per offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I skip trash service in unincorporated McCracken County?
Can my trash hauler come inside my house to collect garbage?
Is my garbage hauler a county employee?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in McCracken County
Compare McCracken County to another location·View the Kentucky trash & recycling overview
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