Royal Oak, MI Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

Under Royal Oak City Code Chapter 633, the City Manager's office publishes a citywide collection schedule and every owner, occupant or business must place solid waste, recycling and yard waste receptacles at the curbline by the scheduled day. Section 633-5A fixes the placement window precisely: containers cannot be set out before 5:00 p.m. the afternoon before pickup and must be off the curb again the same day the truck empties them, closing the loop on curbs that sit cluttered between collections. The rule reaches every kind of building on the route, from single-family dwellings to stores and manufacturing companies, and in business or manufacturing zones with a rear or side alley, receptacles go to the alley instead of the curb unless the City Manager designates another spot.

Waste set out between the sidewalk and curb is picked up by City-authorized crews and billed to the resident regardless of whether a special pickup was requested. Enforcement runs through the Code Enforcement Division, the Fire Chief's designee and Public Works, who can order accumulated rubbish removed and bill the owner. First-time violations of Chapter 633, including early or late curb placement, carry a municipal civil fine of at least $25 plus costs under § 633-12A; a second offense rises to at least $50, a third to at least $75, and a fourth or later offense becomes a misdemeanor punishable by up to $500 and 90 days in jail.