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Birmingham
Birmingham won't pick up what a contractor leaves at the curb
Local haulers do the work; we hold the contract, own the problems, and send one bill. A 2025 city notice puts the removal of renovation and construction debris on the property owner, contractor, and hauler, and tells them not to leave it in the right-of-way.
Last reviewed October 27, 2026.
Short answer
- The city notice says owners, contractors, developers, and haulers are responsible for removing residential, commercial, and industrial waste, and that nothing may be left in the right-of-way for the city to pick up.
- Contractors complete a Landfill User Permit Application and a Waste Stream Certification before dumping at the landfill the city names, which has a separate unit for construction and demolition debris.
- The Birmingham Department of Transportation handles street blockage and temporary traffic control permits for the public right-of-way.
- 14 providers in our provider network have completed jobs in Birmingham.
Whose debris is it
In Birmingham the answer is the person who made it. We keep your sites on one account and answer for the haulers who clear them. When a pickup gets missed, we contact the hauler the same business day.
Birmingham doesn't pick up what's left in the right-of-way, so a contractor who piles debris at the curb is still holding it. Book removal before the pile grows. If you'll be hauling to the landfill yourself, finish the user permit application and the waste stream certification first, because the scale house checks them. For a container on a city street, the Department of Transportation handles street blockage and traffic control permits. Plan those around lane closures, which can take longer to arrange than the container itself.
On one renovation with a hauler already lined up, you may not need us. See hauler, broker, and provider network for the comparison, and the Alabama page for state rules.
Birmingham deliveries
Birmingham job-site deliveries in our record for October 26, 2024 through October 26, 2026, with canceled jobs removed.
Figures are counts of completed deliveries, providers, and accounts in this window from our records, as of October 2026. Roll-off deliveries are containers delivered. Portable toilet deliveries are units placed, not orders. A company that completed both services is counted in both service rows, so those rows are not a split of the provider total. The counts are not a promise that every address is covered. Front-load service, compactors, and balers are not in these counts. The sanitation figure adds portable toilets and hand-wash units placed. Where a restroom-trailer count is shown, it is units placed.
Nothing left in the right-of-way gets collected
The city's February 2025 notice is addressed to property owners and managers, contractors, developers, and waste haulers. It says they are responsible for removing residential, commercial, and industrial solid waste and for taking it to permitted disposal or recycling facilities, and that waste cannot be left on the city's right-of-way for the city to pick up. Public Works also won't haul building material cut or torn out by a private contractor. Illegal dumpers face administrative and civil penalties for each day of each offense.
Street blockage through BDOT
The Birmingham Department of Transportation manages permits for activities in the public right-of-way, including streets and sidewalks. Its list covers Street Blockage, Street Excavation, Temporary Traffic Control, Public Space, and Parking Lot permits. The page doesn't name dumpsters, so ask BDOT which permit a container needs before it's delivered. Pay the application fee at the City Hall payment window first, then email the receipt with the application.
- OfficeBirmingham Department of Transportation, City Hall
- Permit typesStreet Blockage, Temporary Traffic Control, Public Space, Parking Lot
- ApplyFillable PDF by email, or paper at City Hall
- Fee firstPay at the City Hall payment window and send the receipt
- DumpstersNot named on the page, so ask BDOT
Landfill paperwork for contractors
The landfill the city names for contractors has a municipal solid waste unit and a C&D unit that takes nonhazardous construction and demolition debris and rubbish. Contractors fill out a Landfill User Permit Application and a Waste Stream Certification before dumping there. The Eastern Area Landfill's public unloading area does not accept construction or demolition waste.
Birmingham storm seasons and the building calendar
NWS Birmingham treats spring as the main severe weather season and describes a second one in the fall. Census permit data shows apartments surging off a small base.
- March to May
Primary season
NWS treats spring as the main severe weather season for the area.
- November to mid-December
Fall season
NWS says the second season typically runs these weeks, and can start in late October or last into late December.
- November and December
A fifth of the tornadoes
Together they held 21 percent of Alabama tornadoes from 2001 to 2019, so a late-year job still needs a storm plan.
Birmingham, AL, January to August 2026 against the same months of 2025. Apartment-size permits rose from 276 units to 747, which points to more multifamily work coming.
Birmingham services and hauler sign-up
Birmingham jobs can use dumpster rental, portable toilets, hand-wash stations, and restroom trailers.
Hauling or renting toilets in Birmingham? Ask to join the provider network on the vendor form, which is free. Email invoices to accounting@detritus.us. Bill.com pays them, counting from the processing date, and the vendor payment guide lists the steps.
Answers
Common questions
Will Birmingham pick up construction debris left at the curb?
No. The city's notice says waste cannot be left on the right-of-way for the city to pick up, and owners, contractors, developers, and haulers must take it to permitted facilities.
What do Birmingham contractors need before using the landfill?
A Landfill User Permit Application and a Waste Stream Certification. The landfill the city names has a separate unit for construction and demolition debris, and the Eastern Area Landfill public unloading area does not accept construction or demolition waste.
Which Birmingham office handles street blockage permits?
The Birmingham Department of Transportation. Its permit types include Street Blockage and Temporary Traffic Control, and the application fee has to be paid before the application is processed.
Can an approved Birmingham account get payment terms?
Approved accounts can be offered Net 30, 60, or 90, subject to credit review. Nothing on this page is an offer of credit. Terms of use apply to a Birmingham account.
Talk to us
(888) 588-2607
Send the Birmingham sites
Send the Birmingham addresses and who is clearing debris at each, or call.
Sources
Public sources read October 28, 2026.
- Our own delivery records.
- Notice on the Proper Way to Remove Construction and Renovation Debris From Work Sites, City of Birmingham.
- BDOT Permit Applications, City of Birmingham Department of Transportation.
- Fall Severe Weather Awareness Day, NWS Birmingham.
- Building Permits Survey, U.S. Census Bureau.