A Quick Guide For Parking A Dumpster On The Street

Not every home has a driveway or loads of yard space to park a dumpster. In areas where open space is hard to come by, your only option may be to place your rented dumpster from a place like TCM Sweeping and Disposal on the street. This can open up quite the can of worms for a variety of reasons.

If you don't want to upset the neighbors or draw the wrong sort of attention from your municipality, then you'll want to be read up on the following dumpster parking tips.

Grab a Permit for Your Dumpster

You might not need a permit to keep a dumpster on your driveway or lawn, but you'll definitely need one for a dumpster parked on a city right-of-way. These permits, largely known as "encroachment permits" or "street use permits," effectively give you permission to park your dumpster on the street for a limited period of time. Without one, you could face fines and other penalties, including the unexpected removal of your dumpster from the right-of-way.

You can apply for a permit at your local parking enforcement or permits office. Keep in mind that some dumpster rental places will handle the permitting paperwork on your behalf as a part of their services. The cost of the permit may be included in the rental cost, in some cases. Before you apply for a permit, you should read up on the local ordinances concerning dumpster rentals. Some places regulate the maximum allowable size for street-parked dumpsters, while others take a more laissez-faire approach to parking and size.

Size Up Your Dumpster Needs

After studying up on your local municipality's ordinances, think about how much dumpster you really need. Your dumpster size should not only match the size of your renovation or housecleaning project, but it should also take into account the amount of room it'll eat up on the street. The larger your dumpster, the more intrusive it'll likely be as it's parked on the street.

To minimize damage to the roadway, you might want to consider placing a piece of plywood under each wheel. This will distribute the dumpster's weight and prevent it from sinking into the pavement, especially when hot summer temperatures soften the roadway to a significant degree.

Remain Seen

Parking a big dumpster on the street brings up a variety of visibility issues. For starters, there's the need for drivers to safely navigate around the dumpster. This is especially important in cases where your dumpster's presence turns an already narrow street into a one-lane road. Setting up a few high-visibility traffic cones behind and in front of the dumpster might help alert drivers and keep traffic calm.

There's also the need to make sure the dumpster itself can be seen. This is where a handy roll of reflective tape comes in handy. Attaching small strips of the tape along the sides of the dumpster helps improve the dumpster's visibility at night.

Also, make sure to avoid parking your dumpster near fire hydrants or in fire zones, no parking zones and other unauthorized spaces. Also, make sure your dumpster isn't partially intruding or blocking an alleyway or driveway.

Make It Quick

The sooner your dumpster makes its grand exit, the better off you'll be. Many permits limit the amount of time dumpsters can spend parked on the street, backed by fines and fees for those who ignore those time limits.

If you live in an area where parking's already at a premium, you might want to free up that extra space or two that a dumpster takes up as soon as possible. In many cities, parking spaces come at a premium and losing out to a dumpster might make your neighbors a bit upset.

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