Columbus, OH Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Collection
- Bi-weekly, same day, Zone A or Zone B each week
- Who is served
- Most residents; 90 gallon or 300 gallon trash households
- Containers
- Paper bags or marked containers, up to 32 gallons and 50 pounds
- Set-out window
- 6:00 p.m. day before to 2:00 p.m. day after
- Leaves swept into the curb
- Not collected
- Civil penalty
- $250 for set-out timing; $1,000 for dumping or burning
- City drop-off
- Free, Tuesday through Saturday; page prints 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Summary
In Columbus, leaves go out with the bi-weekly curbside yard waste pickup, which the city says is available for most Columbus residents, in paper bags or marked containers of no more than 32 gallons. The city's yard waste pages print no separate fall leaf season, and leaves swept into the curb are not collected. Under § 1303.021(H)(4), yard waste cannot go out before 6:00 p.m. the day before collection, and the civil penalty is $250.
H.General Duty for Yard Waste Collection. ... 4.No person shall place yard waste out for collection prior to 6:00 p.m. on the day prior to the scheduled collection day or fail to remove any yard waste containers from the point of collection by 2:00 p.m. on the day following the scheduled collection day. Yard waste containers shall be secured and stored within ten (10) feet of the home or garage until 6:00 p.m. on the day prior to the next scheduled collection day. ... A.No person shall deposit or cause the deposit of acceptable or unacceptable waste:1.into a body or stream of water, including an ephemeral body or stream of water; into any sewer or other drainage system that leads to a stream or body of water, including an ephemeral body or stream of water; or in a location where it may fall, migrate or be washed into a body or stream of water, or an ephemeral body or stream of water;2.upon any street, alley, public place, utility right-of-way, railroad corridor, or vacant lot; or3.upon any premises in violation of the Title.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 85 | Form Based Code: ?).
Full Breakdown
Leaves go out through the same curbside program as every other kind of yard waste, which the Yard Waste Collection page says is available for most Columbus residents. The Common Questions page says the city partners with Rumpke to provide biweekly collection for households on 90 gallon or 300 gallon trash containers.
The Find My Collection Day page says yard waste collection occurs on the same day bi-weekly, with residents assigned to either Zone A or Zone B for each week. The 2026 Yard Waste Collection Schedule carries an A Zone, B Zone and Holiday legend, and no page quoted here prints a fall start or end date. Its notes say a collection day on or after a holiday is delayed one day, Friday collections are picked up on Saturday, and Good Friday and some Federal holidays observed by the City of Columbus do not affect collection days.
Bag the leaves. The city accepts biodegradable paper bags, or plastic or galvanized metal containers with handles that are marked "Yard Waste" and are no more than thirty-two (32) gallons in size and not more than fifty (50) pounds in weight. Plastic bags cannot go out with yard waste, paper bags cannot be lined with plastic, and yard waste in your City-provided trash container is not collected. Set it in front of your home at the curb, at least 3 feet from refuse and recycling containers, fire hydrants, mailboxes or trees. Section 1303.021(C)(8) separately places lawn and leaf bags at least four (4) feet from any parked vehicle or other obstruction.
Section 1303.021(H)(4) sets the clock: nothing goes out before 6:00 p.m. on the day prior to the scheduled collection day, and yard waste containers come off the point of collection by 2:00 p.m. on the day following it. It names no calendar date; § 1303.03 lets the director determine the frequency and point of collection.
Leaves stay out of the street. The Water & Power page states that leaves swept into the curb will not be collected and that dumping yard waste into storm drains or waterways is illegal. Section 1301.42 lists leaves in the definition of yard waste, and § 1305.03(A) bars depositing acceptable waste, which § 1301.02 defines to include yard waste, upon any street, alley or public place or into a drainage system that leads to a stream. Burning is separate: § 1305.02 says no person shall burn acceptable or unacceptable waste within the city limits.
Violations & Fines
Civil penalties come from the § 1307.03(C) table, are noncriminal, and are assessed by the director through a notice of violation under § 1307.02. Putting yard waste out early or leaving containers at the curb past 2:00 p.m. the next day under § 1303.021(H)(4) costs $250, as does missing the (H)(1) duty. The (H)(2) duty costs $1,000. Illegal dumping under § 1305.03(A) and burning under § 1305.02 each carry $1,000. Unpaid fines add $20.00 at twenty (20) days and $60.00 in total at forty (40) days.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Columbus collect leaves in the fall?
Do I bag leaves or rake them to the curb in Columbus?
Can I rake or blow leaves into the street or a storm drain in Columbus?
Does every Columbus household get curbside leaf pickup?
Where can I drop off leaves in Columbus?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Columbus
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