Davis, CA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Subscription required
- Gray, green, dark blue, light blue containers
- Governing section
- Municipal Code § 32.01.020
- Self-haul waiver
- Public works director approval
- First-violation fine
- $100
- Correction window
- 60 days after notice
- Self-haul records deadline
- Due February 1 annually
Summary
Every generator in Davis, from single-family homes to commercial businesses, must subscribe to the city's collection service for gray, green, dark blue and light blue containers under Municipal Code Section 32.01.020. The city can review container size and collection frequency and require customers to adjust service levels, and skipping the subscription requires a permit or waiver from the public works director.
In addition to the requirements in Sections 32.01.070 and 32.01.080, respectively, all generators shall subscribe to collection services for gray container waste, source separated green container organic waste, source separated dark blue container organic waste, source separated non-organic recyclables, cardboard collection services provided by the city or the city's contract hauler and comply with the requirements of those services as described in subsection (b) of this section unless the generator obtains a permit or waiver pursuant to subsections (c) through (g) of this section. ... Participate in the city's collection services by placing designated materials in designated containers as described in Section 32.01.040 and not placing prohibited container contaminants in collection containers as described in Section 32.01.065.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4915048; v22 updated 2026-05-19).
Full Breakdown
020 of the Davis Municipal Code makes participation in the city's solid waste program mandatory. Subsection (a) requires all generators to subscribe to collection services for gray container waste, source separated green container organic waste, source separated dark blue container organic waste, source separated non-organic recyclables, and cardboard collection provided by the city or its contract hauler. The city reserves the right to review the number and size of a generator's containers and the frequency of collection, and generators must adjust their service level when the city requests it.
065. Two paths let a generator avoid the standard subscription. Under subsection (c) a customer may petition the public works director to share a green, light blue, dark blue or split blue container with an adjacent property, a permit that is revocable at any time and requires continued source separation. Under subsection (d) a customer may petition for a self-haul waiver, which requires hauling recyclables and organic waste to a facility that recovers them, keeping delivery receipts and weight tickets for commercial self-haulers, and submitting those records to the city by February 1st each year.
Commercial businesses may also qualify for a de minimis waiver or a physical space waiver. Waivers under subsections (c) and (d) renew annually; waivers under (e) and (f) renew every five years.
Violations & Fines
Violating Section 32.01.020 is enforced under Section 32.01.125. A code compliance administrator issues a notice of violation, and a generator who fails to correct the violation within sixty days is guilty of an infraction: a one hundred dollar fine for a first violation, two hundred dollars for a second violation within six months, and five hundred dollars for a third or later violation within one year. The city may instead pursue an administrative citation under Article 1.02, still allowing sixty days to correct.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I skip city trash pickup in Davis and haul my own waste?
Can two neighboring properties share one recycling container?
What happens if I never sign up for trash service?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Davis
California rules heatmap·Compare Davis to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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Recycling Requirements in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Yolo County handle recycling requirements.