Portland, OR Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Curb window
- 2 hrs before/after pickup
- After-hours pickup
- cart back by next business day
- Enforcing agency
- Bureau of Planning and Sustainability
- 1st violation penalty
- up to $500
Summary
Portland limits how long garbage, recycling, and compost carts can sit in the public right-of-way: no more than two hours before or after your scheduled collection.
No person may store, or cause to be stored, containers of solid waste, recycling or compostables in public right-of-way without a permit from the City Administrator. For the purposes of this Section, storage means leaving containers in the right of way for more than two hours either before or after collection during normal business hours. If collection occurs after normal business hours, containers may be placed in the right of way at the close of business but must be removed from the right of way by the start of the following business day or within 24 hours of set out, whichever occurs first.
Full Breakdown
City Code bars leaving carts in the right-of-way more than two hours before or after collection during normal business hours. If your hauler collects after hours, you can set carts out at close of business but must pull them back by the start of the next business day, or within 24 hours of set-out, whichever comes first. Storing carts longer requires a City Administrator permit; hardship exemptions exist for owners who lack interior storage space. Only a franchisee, permittee, or approved residential recycler may collect from a Portland cart: no scavenging.
Violations & Fines
Storing carts curbside past the two-hour window without a permit violates Chapter 17.102; the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability enforces via infractions and can assess civil penalties up to $500 for a first violation, up to $1,000 for a second, and up to $1,500 for a third or later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I leave my cart at the curb all week?
Who can legally take items from my recycling cart?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portland
Compare Portland to another location·View the Oregon trash & recycling overview
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Pickup Rules & Schedules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Multnomah County handle pickup rules & schedules.