Dumpster Permits in Lakewood, CO and the West Metro

The short version

Driveway or private lot in Lakewood: we found no City permit or time limit for a temporary roll-off on private property, but it belongs on a hard, all-weather surface, not the grass (§8.14.025(D), §9.80.020(B)(5)). Lakewood street: a no-charge Public Way permit through eTRAKiT, only if there is no suitable spot on the property, for up to 30 days unless extended (§8.14.028). State highways such as West Colfax, Sheridan Boulevard, Wadsworth Boulevard and US-6: we found no CDOT permit path for a container, so never there. Denver street: a DOTI permit that only the container company can pull, $125 for the first 5 days on a residential street. Unincorporated Jefferson County (Applewood, Ken Caryl, Columbine): a $50 County container permit, parking lane only, never on arterials. Who may haul: Lakewood, Denver, Edgewater, Golden, Arvada, Westminster, Englewood and Sheridan each require a hauler licence, and we found no exclusive roll-off franchise anywhere we serve. We're licensed and insured.

Lakewood streets and sidewalks

Lakewood Municipal Code §8.14.028 says: "A no-charge public way permit must be obtained prior to the placement of a temporary roll-off dumpster in the public right-of-way." The applicant must follow the terms on the permit, and roll-offs "shall not be permitted in the public right-of-way for more than 30 days unless due cause for an extension of time can be demonstrated." In eTRAKiT the permit type is Public Way, "Dumpster or Moving POD", and the City's permit sheet adds the key condition: "Only allowed if there is no suitable location on the private property." The City's fee sheet lists "Dumpster in right-of-way — No-fee permit required", with a note that fees change and to call the Permit Counter on 303-987-7500 to verify. Lakewood publishes no written placement conditions beyond the terms on the permit itself.

Around that sit the general rules. It is unlawful to place any object on a sidewalk, street or alley that obstructs it (§9.62.010), no traffic lane may be closed from 7 to 9 a.m. or 3:30 to 6 p.m. without the Director's approval (§12.04.110), and the general penalty runs up to $2,650 (§1.16.020(A)). Standing commercial dumpsters in the right-of-way are a separate process — a Revocable License Agreement (§12.19.020(A)) — not the temporary roll-off permit. Read together: the driveway comes first, and the street is the fallback with a permit.

Your driveway in Lakewood

Lakewood wants containers on private property, not extending onto the right-of-way, and commercial-type dumpsters "on an improved all-weather surface, such as gravel at least ¾-inch thick and three inches depth, hot mix asphalt or concrete paving", clear of vehicle and pedestrian travel and the sight triangle (§8.14.025(D)). Parking is not allowed "on landscaping, grass, or anywhere there is not an all-weather improved parking surface", and that includes commercial-type dumpsters (§9.80.020(B)(5)). Debris must be kept from blowing onto streets or neighbouring property (§9.30.030). We found no time limit for a roll-off on your driveway — the five-day rule for portable storage units (§9.80.020(A)(7)) is written for shipping containers. If your home is in an HOA, its rules can still limit how long a container sits or where it goes, so check before delivery day.

State highways — CDOT

Some of the busiest roads in and around Lakewood are state highways, not City streets: West Colfax Avenue (US-40) runs a block from our yard, with Sheridan Boulevard (SH-95), Wadsworth Boulevard (SH-121) and US-6 close by. Federal Boulevard, US-285 and Santa Fe Drive in Sheridan, and Highway 8 through Morrison, are state highways too. Lakewood says "Any person doing work within the public way of a state highway must obtain a permit from the state and the city" (§12.04.040(A)). CDOT issues Utility and Special Use Permits for work in state highway right-of-way, but no CDOT page names dumpsters, roll-offs or containers, and we found no published permit path for one. Jefferson County's right-of-way rules exclude state highways as well.

So on a state highway, the driveway or the lot is the answer. If you are not sure who maintains your street, give us the address and we will help you work it out before delivery day.

Our yard, and who may haul in Lakewood

Our yard at 1510 Kendall St is inside Lakewood city limits, in Jefferson County, according to the US Census geocoder. The City does not run trash service or pick a hauler for anyone: "Lakewood does not contract with haulers on behalf of residents nor does the city directly provide these services as a utility." It does license haulers. Chapter 5.29, rewritten by Ordinance O-2026-30 and approved on August 24, 2026, makes it "unlawful for any Person to operate as a Waste Hauler within the City without first obtaining a License" (§5.29.040), now defines solid waste to include "construction and demolition debris, and bulky items/junk" (§5.29.020), raises the required liability cover to $3,000,000 with the City named as additional insured (§5.29.100), and keeps licences issued before October 1, 2026 valid until March 1, 2027 (§5.29.080). The City's published list of licensed haulers has a roll-off services column.

Lakewood also limits hours near homes. The hauler code bars waste collection between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. within 300 feet of a dwelling (§5.29.120), and the noise code bars loading or unloading any garbage, trash or compactor truck within 300 feet of a residential building on Sundays, on six listed holidays, and between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. (§9.52.130). So near homes we plan drop-offs and pickups for Monday to Saturday, in the daytime. We're licensed and insured.

Denver

Denver's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure says: "All containers — Dumpsters, Roll-offs and other Containers — require a permit." And "The permit for containers is ONLY obtained by the container company", which needs a ROW Dumpster License number from the City — so a homeowner cannot pull it. Allow 5 business days. The container goes in a parking lane at least 20 feet from any corner, alley or entrance, never on a sidewalk, tree lawn, travel lane, no-parking zone, loading zone or alley; each permit covers up to 40 linear feet and no more than 2 containers; a metered spot needs two meters requested; and the limit is 180 days in a 12-month period. The 2024 fee schedule sets a One Time Residential Street Placement at $125 for the first 5 days and $4.50 a day after, and $125 then $7.50 a day on collector and arterial streets. If the street is the only option at a Denver address, tell us when you book.

Denver also licenses haulers: "It shall be unlawful for any person to transport solid waste from within the city without a solid waste hauler license" (DRMC §48-62), and the City says solid waste includes "construction & demolition". Containers carry the hauler's name and phone number on the street-facing side (§48-63), and disposal receipts are kept for a year (§48-64). Since September 1, 2026, Denver's Universal Recycling and Composting Ordinance asks qualifying permits — new buildings, additions and demolitions over 500 square feet, and renovations over 2,500 — to divert at least 50 percent of their debris by weight and upload weight tickets; trade-only permits such as roofing are exempt.

Unincorporated Jefferson County — Applewood, Ken Caryl, Columbine

Outside city limits, Jefferson County says its permit "is required when placing a dumpster, roll-off or other container on a public street." "Each permit costs $50.00 plus an additional 2.5% when paying by credit card", and review takes about 48 hours. Under the County's right-of-way policy (§ C), containers "are not permitted on arterials nor generally along collectors", need a 6-inch by 4-foot strip of reflective tape on each corner or a traffic cone, must fit within a parking lane at least 20 feet from any corner, alley or entrance, may stay up to 180 days, and can never block a sidewalk, tree lawn, travel lane, no-parking zone, loading zone or alley. The container company, the property owner or the person filling the container may apply, with no more than two containers per application. County right-of-way excludes state highways, and the County's jMap shows whether a road is County right-of-way. We found no County hauler licence.

Two traps. Many Ken Caryl and Columbine homes carry a Littleton mailing address but sit in unincorporated Jefferson County, and permits follow the jurisdiction, not the mailing city. And the Columbine community is not the Town of Columbine Valley, a separate town that makes itself the "sole agency" for collecting garbage and waste (§8.16.030); we do not serve Columbine Valley. A small part of the Columbine community lies in Arapahoe County, where we found no dumpster road permit, so the driveway is the answer there.

Edgewater, Wheat Ridge, Golden and Arvada

Edgewater says "No refuse hauler shall operate in the City without a license" (§6-8-20) and allows collecting or hauling only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. (§6-8-50(a)). A dumpster on a City street needs a permit issued by the Chief of Police to the owner or occupant, good for ten consecutive days and posted on or near the container; it goes along the front lot line, inside the parking lane, not within 30 feet of an intersection, with no more than three permits a year — and "In no event shall a Dumpster or storage container be located within an alley" (§11-1-40). Unpermitted containers can be towed. Wheat Ridge requires a Class D licence to occupy the public way for "staging or storage of materials, equipment, storage containers, and/or trash receptacles" (§21-21(b)(2)) plus a right-of-way permit (§21-11), and dumpsters "are not placed in the street without specific approval of the director" (§21-52). We found no hauler licence in the Wheat Ridge City Code; trucks that lift dumpsters may not pick up in residential zones between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. (§16-103).

Golden makes it unlawful "to operate as a solid waste collector within the city without first obtaining a license" (§4.80.015) and bars collection on local residential streets between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. (§4.80.065). Street placement takes a right-of-way permit (§11.20.040), dumpsters are not placed in the street "without specific approval of the director" (§11.20.170(c)(3)), and the City's right-of-way page asks for a traffic control plan, NO PARK signs posted 24 hours ahead and no occupancy on City holidays. Arvada requires a trash hauler's licence (§90-51) and on-site containers from construction contractors, with debris containerized daily (§90-2). Its Dumpster Permit page says the container company must apply and hold an Arvada Municipal General Contractor licence; containers may stay 30 days, or 120 with a building permit, at least 35 feet from a corner and 5 feet from a driveway — and no permit is needed in a private driveway.

Westminster, Morrison and the south metro

Westminster requires a collection licence (§5-7-2) and names roll-offs outright: collectors offering "roll-off dumpsters for construction and demolition activities" for short-term projects (§5-7-8(C)); the fee is $250 a year plus $250 per vehicle (§5-7-5(A)), and collectors work residential areas only on the days the City Manager designates (§5-7-10(A)). On private property, a one- or two-family home needs prior written authorization from a code enforcement officer for a dumpster of one cubic yard or larger, unless there is a valid building permit (§8-1-5(A)). In the street, a right-of-way permit is needed at least two working days ahead (§9-2-1), and only licensed, bonded and insured Class D or E public way contractors can apply. Morrison: we did not read the Town Code, so we make no rule claims; its main road is State Highway 8, which is CDOT's, so the driveway or lot is the answer.

Englewood licenses trash hauling, and its definition of trash includes "construction supplies and materials" (EMC 5-26-1, 5-26-2); licensees limit residential hauling to Mondays and Wednesdays (5-26-4(D)), and how that applies to roll-off swaps is not stated. Homeowners can get a special Occupancy Permit for a dumpster in front of the home — about 5 business days, in the parking lane, 20 feet from any corner, alley or entrance, up to 180 days in a year, with per-foot daily fees. Sheridan requires a trash hauler's licence (§22-217), leaves construction debris out of its residential contract (§22-231) and issues dumpster permits over the counter at City Hall, 4101 S. Federal Blvd. Littleton: we found no hauler licence; any work or equipment in the right-of-way, including sidewalks and alleys, needs a City permit pulled by a City-licensed contractor, and truck loading near homes is restricted from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Bow Mar: any work in Town right-of-way needs a permit (§11-4), and dumpsters are not placed in the street "without specific approval of the Commissioner" (§11-18(c)(3)); we found no hauler licence.

What this means when you book

Tell us the address and where you want the box. A driveway or private lot is the simplest case almost everywhere we serve — in Lakewood on a hard surface, not the lawn, and in Westminster with code enforcement authorization at a house without a building permit. A Lakewood street spot needs the Public Way permit and only works when the property has no suitable spot. A Denver street spot is a permit only the container company can pull, so allow 5 business days. In unincorporated Jefferson County a street spot is a $50 County permit and about 48 hours. In Edgewater it is a police permit for ten days. A state highway means the driveway. Near homes, Lakewood keeps trucks quiet on Sundays, holidays and overnight, and Edgewater allows hauling from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. only. Call (720) 370-8548 — the phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.