Fresno County, CA Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Dept. of Public Works and Planning / hauler
- Branch size limit
- Under 3 inches in diameter
- Christmas trees
- Cut into 2-foot sections, no stands
- First fine
- $25 for improper separation
- Third fine
- $150, then up to 1-year removal
Summary
Fresno County requires unincorporated-area households to separate green waste from trash and place it in the county-provided cart for pickup by one of the fourteen exclusive service area haulers under Chapter 8.21. Green waste covers leaves, grass clippings, branches under three inches thick, and Christmas trees cut into two-foot sections with no stands or flocking. Tree stumps count as bulky items instead.
3.Green waste—leaves, cut flowers, dead plants, house plants, grass clippings, weeds, branches, brush, prunings, shrubs, untreated/uncoated wood, wood chips, yard trimmings, and Christmas trees (which must be cut into two-foot sections and placed in the green waste cart without flocking, decoration or metal or plastic stands). All customers shall be responsible for the separation and placement of collection materials into the designated solid waste materials containers. Noncompliance with proper separation of solid waste materials shall result in enforcement action to be initiated against the customer, as more thoroughly provided in subsection V of this section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 51).
Full Breakdown
060(Q) lets customers place three material streams at the curb for collection: refuse, single-stream recyclables, and green waste. 040(T) as biodegradable material including branches less than three inches in diameter, brush, cut flowers, dead plants, grass clippings, house plants, leaves, prunings, shrubs, weeds, untreated wood, wood chips and yard trimmings; larger material such as tree stumps and intact dead trees is reclassified as a bulky item rather than green waste. Christmas trees qualify only if cut into two-foot sections and placed in the cart without stands, flocking or decorations.
060(S), though a hauler cannot refuse an entire container just because it holds incidental recyclable material. 21, each operating on a schedule set out in its own county agreement; residents may also self-haul green waste to a permitted facility instead of using cart service. The Fresno County Department of Public Works and Planning, through the designated hauler, enforces proper separation: a hauler that finds green waste mixed into a customer's trash container must leave a written notice and report continued noncompliance to the county representative in the department.
Hazardous items such as flammable liquids, pesticides and paint may never go in the green waste cart and must go to a household hazardous waste drop-off event instead.
Violations & Fines
Improper separation of green waste from refuse triggers a progressive fine schedule under Section 8.21.060(V): a written county notice for the first instance, a $25 fine for a first violation, $50 for a second violation within twelve months, and $150 for a third. A repeated violation after the third fine, or failure to pay a fine within sixty days, allows the county to remove a customer's collection containers for up to one year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a tree stump in my green waste cart in Fresno County?
Who picks up green waste in unincorporated Fresno County?
What happens if I mix green waste into my trash cart?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fresno County
California rules heatmap·Compare Fresno County to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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