Skip to content

Santa Barbara County · Building on your lot

Trash and recycling carts in Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara County's own rules on trash and recycling carts, with the code text for every value.

Ask about trash and recycling carts in Santa Barbara County See coverage

Each rule below links to the section of the Santa Barbara County Municipal Code it was read from, with the code text one click away (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

What Santa Barbara County's code says

Santa Barbara County code What Santa Barbara County's code adds
Required collection service
  • Owner must subscribe to an authorized collector for service equal to 1 32-gallon container twice per week
    Applies: Single-family dwellings in Isla Vista
    § 17-7 · code text
    Every owner of a single-family dwelling in Isla Vista shall provide solid waste handling service in the amount equivalent to one thirty-two-gallon container twice per week. The owner or responsible party shall subscribe to the service of an authorized collector for this purpose.
When carts must come back
  • Remove containers within 12 hours after collection
    Applies: Containers placed next to a street or public right-of-way for collection
    § 17-8 · code text
    No container shall be placed adjacent to a street or public right-of-way for collection service more than twenty-four hours prior to the normal collection time, and shall be removed from said location within twelve hours after collection.
When carts may go to the curb
  • Do not put containers out more than 24 hours before the normal collection time
    Applies: Containers placed next to a street or public right-of-way for collection
    § 17-8 · code text
    No container shall be placed adjacent to a street or public right-of-way for collection service more than twenty-four hours prior to the normal collection time, and shall be removed from said location within twelve hours after collection.
Where carts are kept
  • Keep containers on the property out of public view; not in a street, public right-of-way or other public place
    Applies: Except at the curbside pickup site on scheduled collection days
    § 17-8 · code text
    Excepting placement at the curbside pickup site on scheduled collection day(s), such containers shall be maintained on the property out of public view and not placed within the limits of any street, public right-of-way or other public place in the county or in such a place or manner as to constitute a nuisance.

Who this affects

HomeownersContractorsDesigners

Frequently asked questions

When can trash carts go out to the curb in Santa Barbara County?

Santa Barbara County's code: Owner must subscribe to an authorized collector for service equal to 1 32-gallon container twice per week (Single-family dwellings in Isla Vista) (§ 17-7); Remove containers within 12 hours after collection (Containers placed next to a street or public right-of-way for collection) (§ 17-8).

General information, not legal advice.

Ask about a specific Santa Barbara County property

Ask GoCodebook how Santa Barbara County's trash and recycling carts rules apply to your situation and get an answer that cites the section.

Ask your question

More on building on your lot in Santa Barbara County

All building on your lot rules in Santa Barbara County

Fences and walls in Santa Barbara County

Sheds, garages and other accessory structures in Santa Barbara County

Running a business from home in Santa Barbara County

Solar panels and EV chargers in Santa Barbara County

Tree removal in Santa Barbara County

Pets, chickens and bees in Santa Barbara County

Building on a hillside in Santa Barbara County

Outdoor lighting in Santa Barbara County

Affordable units in new housing (inclusionary) in Santa Barbara County

Parking spaces required for homes in Santa Barbara County

Signs on homes in Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara County Municipal Code — full text