Yorba Linda, CA Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Yard waste defined
- Leaves, grass cuttings and shrubs
- Collection by non-franchisee
- Unlawful except narrow exceptions
- Gardener/landscaper exception
- Incidental collection only, no hired hauler
- Franchisee obligation
- Must run state organic-waste diversion program
- Misdemeanor penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine or 6 months jail
Summary
In the City of Yorba Linda, only the City's franchised hauler may collect solid waste, but Municipal Code § 8.20.070(H)(4) carves out an exception letting a gardener or landscaper haul away leaves, grass cuttings and shrubs incidental to routine yard work, so long as a third party isn't hired just to collect it.
"Yard waste"means all leaves, grass cuttings and shrubs that accompany routine household or property maintenance functions. ... It is unlawful for any person other than a franchisee (or its agents and employees) to collect any discarded solid waste including recyclable material, within the City. This prohibition shall not, however, apply to: ... The collection of yard waste, green waste and related solid waste by a gardener or landscaper as an incidental part of the gardening or landscaping services provided to its customers, rather than as a hauling service, provided that such solid waste is not collected by a third party hired for the primary purpose of collecting said materials. ... Any person convicted of a misdemeanor under any provision of this chapter shall be punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000.00, or by imprisonment in the City or County Jail for a period not exceeding six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
Full Breakdown
Yorba Linda Municipal Code § 8.20.010 defines 'yard waste' narrowly as leaves, grass cuttings and shrubs that accompany routine household or property maintenance, distinguishing it from the broader category of organic waste regulated under state diversion law at 14 CCR, Division 7, Chapter 12. Section 8.20.070(H) makes it unlawful for anyone other than the City's franchisee, or its agents and employees, to collect discarded solid waste, including recyclable material, within city limits; that is the general rule every resident and business is subject to for curbside trash.
Subsection (H)(4) carves out a narrow exception for yard waste specifically: a gardener or landscaper may collect leaves, grass cuttings, shrubs and related solid waste as an incidental part of the gardening or landscaping service performed for a customer, so long as the material isn't collected by a third party hired for the primary purpose of hauling it away. The same exception structure also covers construction and demolition debris removed incidentally by a contractor under subsection (H)(3), and recyclable material a generator sells or donates under subsection (H)(5).
Outside those carve-outs, a homeowner who pays a separate hauler, rather than the City's franchisee, to cart away yard trimmings is violating the chapter, because the general franchise-exclusivity rule in subsection (H) controls. The franchisee itself remains obligated, under § 8.20.020(B), to run any organic-waste diversion program required by state law, so bagged yard trimmings set out for the franchisee still count toward the City's mandatory green-waste diversion targets even when a landscaper legally hauls the rest.
Violations & Fines
Collecting yard waste outside the gardener/landscaper exception, without a franchisee agreement or self-hauler permit, violates § 8.20.070(H) and is punishable under § 8.20.121: a misdemeanor carrying up to a $1,000.00 fine and up to six months in jail, or, at the City Manager's and City Attorney's discretion, an infraction with escalating fines of $100.00, $200.00 and $500.00 for repeat violations within a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my gardener haul away my grass clippings in Yorba Linda?
Does Yorba Linda have curbside yard waste pickup?
Can I pay a private hauler to take away tree trimmings in Yorba Linda?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yorba Linda
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