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Austin
Austin makes every hauler re-apply each January
Local haulers do the work; we hold the contract, own the problems, and send one bill. Austin licenses private haulers for the calendar year and has barred the city from taking new commercial customers since 2015, so the licensed list is the market.
Last reviewed October 27, 2026.
Short answer
- Commercial premises in Austin must use a licensed private hauler, and since January 1, 2015 the city may not provide service to new commercial customers.
- Haulers apply for and renew a Private Waste Hauler License each January, and every license expires on December 31.
- Owners of commercial and multifamily properties must give tenants and employees convenient access to recycling and composting, and file a plan each year between October 1 and February 1.
- 12 providers in our provider network have completed jobs in Austin.
A licensed list that resets every year
A hauler that served you last year has to renew before it serves you this year. We keep every Austin site on one account, which means we answer for each hauler's standing. When a pickup gets missed, we contact the hauler the same business day.
On a single lot with a hauler you trust, there's no need for us. See hauler, broker, and provider network for how the models differ, and the Texas page for state rules.
Austin deliveries
Counted here are deliveries to job sites in Austin for October 26, 2024 through October 26, 2026, minus anything canceled.
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.
How Austin licenses haulers
Anyone collecting waste, recycling, or compost in Austin for a fee needs a Private Waste Hauler License under Chapter 15-6, Article 3. Each licensed vehicle needs an annual Texas inspection and carries two decals, one on each door, and the hauler files tonnage reports. Applications and renewals run January 1 through 31. The city says it doesn't directly provide dumpster-based services, with one exception: it manages a collection contract for businesses in the Central Business District downtown. Everywhere else, pick from the city's list of licensed haulers.
Containers on an Austin street
The right-of-way office handles a moving or storage container under a parking permit, reviewed case by case for the device and location. It asks for an image of the location, two secured parking spaces, and Type III barricades on both sides of the container. The page names containers and PODs, not roll-offs, so ask the Right-of-Way office whether a roll-off follows the same rule before you plan around it.
- PermitParking permit for moving and storage containers
- ReviewCase by case, by device and location
- RequestAt least three business days before the date
- PayAt least two business days before the date
- On the streetImage of the location, two parking spaces, Type III barricades both sides
- Roll-offsAsk RightOfWay@austintexas.gov; the page names containers, not dumpsters
Austin parking permit fees
The right-of-way office lists these parking permit fees as effective October 1, 2026.
| Fee | Charge | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Parking permit application, non-refundable, 2026 | $50 per application | City of Austin |
| Metered or pay-station parking space under a permit, 2026 | $32-$80 per day, per space, by location and day of week | City of Austin |
| Unmetered parking space or lane under a permit, 2026 | $0.02 per square foot, per day | City of Austin |
Recycling duties land on the property
Austin's Universal Recycling Ordinance puts the duty on the owner or manager of a commercial or multifamily property, who must give tenants, residents, and employees convenient access to recycling and composting and submit a plan every year between October 1 and February 1. A violation is a Class C misdemeanor. Ask a hauler what it can document for that annual plan.
Hail, floods, and the Austin calendar
NWS Austin/San Antonio keeps a record of the region's major weather. Census permit data shows apartments well behind last year.
- March
Austin's costliest hail
NWS says the costliest Austin hailstorm struck March 25, 2009, with hail up to 3 inches, and the two before it hit the same date in 2005 and 1993.
- Late May
Memorial Day Flood
On May 24, 1981, 4 to 10 inches of rain fell overnight in Austin. Keep containers off low ground when heavy rain is forecast.
- February
The 2021 freeze
A week of subfreezing temperatures, two ice storms, and two snowstorms hit the Austin metro hardest in February 2021.
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, January to August 2026 against the same months of 2025. Apartment permits are far behind last year, so fewer long multifamily builds are starting.
Austin services and hauler sign-up
Austin customers can order dumpster rental, portable toilets, hand-wash stations, and restroom trailers.
For haulers
Hold an Austin hauler license, or rent toilets here? Join the provider network through the vendor form; it's 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
Does Austin pick up commercial dumpsters?
No. The city says it doesn't directly provide dumpster-based services, commercial premises must use a licensed private hauler, and the city may not take new commercial customers. Businesses in the Central Business District are covered by a city-managed contract.
When do Austin haulers renew their license?
Applications and renewals run January 1 through 31, and each license expires on December 31 of the year issued. Every licensed vehicle needs an annual Texas inspection and two decals.
Does a storage container in an Austin street need a permit?
Moving and storage containers get a parking permit, reviewed case by case. The city asks for an image of the location, two parking spaces, and Type III barricades on both sides, with the request at least three business days ahead.
Can an approved Austin 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 an Austin account.
Talk to us
(888) 588-2607
Send the Austin sites
Send us the Austin addresses and each site's current hauler, or call.
Sources
Public sources read October 27, 2026.
- Our own delivery records.
- Private Waste Hauler License, City of Austin.
- Commercial Collection Services, City of Austin Austin Resource Recovery.
- Universal Recycling Ordinance, City of Austin Austin Resource Recovery.
- Right-of-Way Permits, City of Austin Transportation and Public Works.
- Weather Highlights Since 1899, NWS Austin/San Antonio.
- Building Permits Survey, U.S. Census Bureau.
Also in Texas: San Antonio.