Bowie, MD Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Collection day
- Every Wednesday, no request needed
- Branch limit
- 3 inches diameter, 4 feet long max
- Bagging
- Paper bags, kept dry required
- Excluded items
- Bamboo, dirt, rocks, concrete, stumps excluded
- Set-out window
- 5 p.m. Tuesday to 7 a.m. Wednesday
- Governing section
- Bowie City Code § 10-6A
Summary
The City of Bowie collects bagged grass, leaves and bundled branches from every home each Wednesday without a special request. City Code § 10-6A caps branches at three inches in diameter and four feet in length, requires paper bags kept dry, and excludes items such as bamboo, dirt, rocks, concrete, bricks, stumps and landscape timbers from the yard waste stream.
§ 10-6. Collection of yard waste, metal and recyclable materials. ... A. The City provides for yard waste collection to all homes in the corporate limits every Wednesday without special request. "Yard waste" includes bagged grass and leaves, and twigs and branches tied securely in bundles. Branches can be no larger than three inches in diameter and no longer than four feet in length. Yard waste does not include bamboo, dirt, rocks, concrete, bricks, stumps, and landscape timbers. Yard waste may not be placed at the curb prior to 5:00 p.m. the Tuesday evening before the scheduled collection and must be at the curb no later than 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Yard waste must be placed in paper bags for collection and must be protected from precipitation before collection; the City will not collect wet yard waste. ... ... § 10-13. Violations and penalties. ... Violations of this chapter are municipal infractions, subject to the penalty and enforcement provisions of Chapter 1, §§ 1-6 and 1-6A of this Code.
Full Breakdown
Under City Code § 10-6A, the City of Bowie provides yard waste collection to every home within the corporate limits every Wednesday, with no special request required. The Code defines "yard waste" as bagged grass and leaves plus twigs and branches tied securely in bundles, and it sets hard limits on branch size: no more than three inches in diameter and no longer than four feet in length. Excluded materials include bamboo, dirt, rocks, concrete, bricks, stumps and landscape timbers, none of which the City will pick up as yard waste.
The ordinance also fixes the collection window: yard waste cannot go to the curb before 5:00 p.m. the Tuesday evening before the scheduled Wednesday pickup and must be out no later than 7:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. Bagging matters too, since § 10-6A requires yard waste to be placed in paper bags and protected from precipitation, and the City will not collect wet yard waste left exposed to rain. This sits alongside the separate metal-item collection in § 10-6B, which residents must schedule by calling Public Works before noon the Tuesday before pickup, and the mixed recycling collection in § 10-6C.
All three streams fall under Chapter 10, Garbage, Trash and Refuse, and are enforced together under § 10-13's penalty provisions rather than through Prince George's County.
Violations & Fines
City Code § 10-13 makes violations of Chapter 10, including the yard waste placement and bagging rules in § 10-6A, municipal infractions rather than misdemeanors. When no specific fine is set, Chapter 1, § 1-6(9) fixes the penalty at $100 for a first offense and $200 for each repeat offense, with every additional day of a continuing violation treated as a separate infraction. The City Manager or Council may also pursue an injunction under § 1-6A, and a resident who receives a citation may seek review before the Administrative Review Board under Chapter 1A.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Bowie pick up yard waste every week?
How big can branches be for Bowie yard waste pickup?
What can't go out as yard waste in Bowie?
What is the penalty for violating Bowie's yard waste rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bowie
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