San Antonio, TX Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

Residential brush collection under Sec. 14-13 happens only twice annually, in regularly scheduled cycles that the city spaces roughly evenly across the year; residents are notified of the dates in advance, and it is unlawful to place brush at or near curbside outside the noticed collection window. Anyone who needs brush hauled away between the two annual cycles must request "out of cycle" service under Sec. 14-14, which is billed separately from the free scheduled pickup. Set-out rules in Sec. 14-16 require piles to sit near the curb, clear of overhead wires, utility boxes, fences, trees and other vegetation, and only after the city has posted notification; refrigerator and freezer doors must be removed before they go out.

Piles are non-compliant, and can draw a fee under Sec. 14-45(a) plus a citation, if they are contaminated with non-brush waste, set out more than a week before the scheduled week, or left more than a week after collection. Property owners are primarily responsible for reimbursing the city if a pile damages meters, sprinkler lines, fencing, mailboxes or vehicles during collection, with tenants secondarily liable. For grass clippings, leaves and smaller yard trimmings, San Antonio runs a separate weekly program: residents enrolled in the green organics cart under Sec.

14-17 can set out leaves, tree trimmings cut to cart height, yard trimmings and cut-up brush every week, as long as none of it goes into the cart in a plastic bag.