Dumpster Permits in Scranton and Nearby Boroughs

The short version

Driveway or private lot in Scranton: the simplest spot; we found no City permit for a dumpster on private property. Scranton street: City Code § 400-17 requires a permit from the Department of Permits, Licensing and Inspections, a flashing light and proper reflectors, and allows one day in the right-of-way unless an off-duty police officer is engaged, so we arrange the City's street permit or check the rules with you before booking. State highways such as I-81, I-476, US-6, US-11, PA-307 and PA-347: occupying a state highway needs a PennDOT permit (State Highway Law § 420(b)(2)), so never there. Who may haul: Scranton licenses haulers and puts a sticker on each truck (§ 400-16), and the State requires DEP's Waste Transporter Authorization for waste trucks over 17,000 lbs (Act 90). Nearby boroughs: Archbald, Jermyn, Dalton and Dickson City have collection rules that reserve some hauling to the Borough or its collector, so we check the Borough's rules before booking there; the rest are below. We're licensed & insured.

A note on sources: the Scranton sections here are from the City Code on eCode360, which the City's own pages link to, and borough rules are from each borough's code or posted ordinances. Most borough codes are not online in full, so "we found no rule" means we found none on the official pages we read, not that none exists.

Scranton: who may haul

Scranton's code splits trash two ways. Residential refuse in the City is collected, conveyed and disposed of by the City, while commercial properties and residential buildings of six or more units must provide refuse removal by a private licensed hauler (City Code § 400-11A and B). The same section makes it unlawful for anyone not authorized by the City to collect and haul refuse in a way that avoids the City's refuse charge (§ 400-11E).

Haulers are licensed. Under § 400-16, any hauler of municipal or residual waste collecting within City limits, whether residential, industrial or commercial, must hold a licence from the Department of Permits, Licensing and Inspections, renewed each year (A and B). The application lists every vehicle the hauler will use in the City, and each listed vehicle must show a City licence sticker in plain sight (C). And all roll-off containers used to transport waste or recyclables must be tightly tarped or covered at all times while they are on the road (F). The City's Code Enforcement page sends permit and licence questions to "the Bureau of Code Enforcement for questions about permits, licenses, or inspections. 570.348.4193". We do not publish the licence fee, because the code text dates from 2003. We're licensed & insured.

Scranton streets and right-of-way

City Code § 400-17 covers roll-off containers and portable boxes. Any placed on a street or highway needs a permit from the Department of Permits, Licensing and Inspections (A). The application gives the applicant's name and address, the exact location, the purpose and how long the container will stay, and the applicant signs an indemnity holding the City harmless (B). A container on a City street or highway must have a flashing light and proper reflectors to warn approaching traffic (D). And a roll-off may stay in a right-of-way area on a public street or highway for only one day under the permit, unless the permit holder engages an off-duty police officer to keep traffic moving safely (E).

We found no dumpster permit form or page on the City's website, and the City's newer right-of-way chapter (Ch. 349) does not mention dumpsters. Section 412-3 separately bars leaving boxes, packing cases and merchandise on streets, sidewalks or highways. The City acts on complaints, too: its Council responses of 13 October 2026 record an empty dumpster left on a residential street for weeks, raised through Scranton311 and later removed. So the driveway comes first, and for a street spot we arrange the City's street permit or check the rules with you before booking. We do not publish the permit fee, because the code text dates from 2003.

Pickup hours and noise in Scranton

In its Council responses of 15 September 2026, the City answered a complaint about "garbage dumpster pickup occurring at approximately 11:30 p.m. and later on a Sunday" by citing the Zoning Ordinance, "Section 5.9.A.1 – Noise Control". For residential receiving areas: "7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.: The maximum permitted sound level, other than on Sundays and legal holidays, is 62." and "10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., including Sundays and legal holidays: The maximum permitted sound level is 52."

It fits how we work anyway: drop-offs and pickups near homes happen in the daytime, and we do not promise night or Sunday service. The phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Moosic has a firmer rule for emptying dumpsters, below.

State highways: PennDOT

Some of the busiest roads near our yard are state highways, not City streets. In a straight line the yard is about 0.18 miles from PA-307 and US-11, 0.87 miles from I-81 and 1.08 miles from I-476. Pennsylvania's State Highway Law says: "No person, municipality or municipality authority shall open a driveway onto a State highway or open the surface of or occupy a State highway without a permit" (§ 420(b)(2)). PennDOT's highway occupancy permit page says: "HOPs include utility, driveways, local roads, and miscellaneous permits."

We found no PennDOT page written for dumpsters, and the page does not say whether a roll-off on a state route's shoulder needs a miscellaneous permit. So the right-of-way of I-81, I-476, US-6, US-11, PA-307, PA-347 and every other state route is off limits, and the driveway or the lot is the answer. If you are not sure who maintains your road, give us the address and we will work it out with you before delivery day.

Who may haul: state law and the County

DEP says the Waste Transportation Safety Act (Act 90 of 2002) "requires all waste transportation vehicles (trucks, truck tractors, or combinations with a registered gross vehicle weight greater than 17,000 lbs., and trailers with a registered gross vehicle weight greater than 10,000 lbs.) transporting municipal or residual waste to waste processing or disposal facilities in Pennsylvania to have a valid Waste Transporter Authorization." The statute adds: "It shall be unlawful for a transporter to operate a waste transportation vehicle without obtaining written authorization from the department" (27 Pa.C.S. § 6204(a)), and "An authorization sticker shall be displayed prominently on the left front side of the truck or truck tractor, and an authorization sticker shall be displayed prominently on the back of the truck or waste trailer" (§ 6204(c)).

The same chapter limits new local programs: "no county and no municipality may implement a municipal waste or residual waste transportation authorization or licensing program after the effective date of this chapter" (27 Pa.C.S. § 6203(c)). That bars new local licensing; it does not by itself undo older local collection rules, which is why the borough rules below still matter. Lackawanna County has a 1993 hauler-licensing ordinance in its archive, but we found no current County hauler licence application or fee.

Archbald, Jermyn, Dalton and Dickson City: we check before booking

Archbald: the code lets Borough Council designate one collector each year, with the exclusive right and obligation to collect and haul refuse in the Borough (§ 408-13B), and bars others from hauling refuse in a way that avoids the Borough's service charge (§ 408-13A). The Borough's own page says: "Businesses are excluded from the Borough's municipal waste contract and must contract separately with a hauler for their waste removal needs." Every temporary dumpster, on private property or in the right-of-way, must display a valid Borough permit (§ 325-3L). We check the Borough's rules before booking.

Jermyn: Ord. 08-2024 § 5 has the Borough designate one collector each year with the exclusive right to collect and haul refuse in the Borough. A private dumpster or roll-off on a Borough paved road needs a Borough permit, a bond posted against road damage and a protective barrier between the container and the road surface (Ord. 2 of 1992, Resolution 15-2016), and since July 2026 every temporary dumpster, on private property or in the right-of-way, must display a Borough permit and sit only where the Code Enforcement Officer or a Police Officer designates (Ord. 12 of 2026 § 3(R)). We check the Borough's rules before booking.

Dalton: the code says no one except the Borough or its designated subcontractor may carry or transport any solid waste through the Borough's streets, alleys or public places (§ 290-7). We check the Borough's rules before booking. Dickson City: Ord. 9-2011 § 9 reserves refuse, leaf and yard waste from dwelling units to the Borough's own collection, but the ordinance's definition of refuse leaves out demolition and construction debris. So a construction debris box sits outside that definition, while a household clean-out is the grey area. We check the Borough's rules before booking. None of this means we can or cannot serve these four; it means we check first.

Street permits: Carbondale, Clarks Summit and Jermyn

Carbondale: the City's permit FAQ asks "If I rent a dumpster, do I need a permit?" and answers "Yes, if the dumpster is placed in the road." and "If the dumpster is on your property, you are not required to have a permit." The City Code itself is not online, so for a road spot we check the City's rules before booking.

Clarks Summit: Ord. 2015-02 § 104 requires a Borough permit before a dumpster is placed in a street or right-of-way. The permit runs two weeks and the Code Enforcement Officer can renew it for up to four more, six weeks in all; after that the dumpster comes out and no new permit is issued for that property for two months. The dumpster needs DOT-approved reflective tape on all sides, with flashing yellow barricade lights on arterial or collector roads; it may sit only where parking is otherwise permitted, and no permit is issued if the remaining travel lane would be narrower than 12 feet. It rests on 2-inch-thick lumber to protect the road, the permit is posted on it, it is kept covered when not in use and it takes no food garbage. The Borough also bans parking on its roadways from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., November 1st through April 1st (Ord. 2000-01 § 406.1), so winter street spots need the Borough's say-so. The Borough-authorized collector rule covers municipal waste, which the ordinance defines to exclude construction/demolition waste (§§ 101, 102.B).

Jermyn: as above, a permit, a bond and a road barrier for any private dumpster or roll-off on a Borough paved road, plus a permit on private property since 2026.

Other borough rules, and where we found none

Old Forge: no one may collect, haul or convey refuse on the Borough's streets or alleys without a licence from the Borough's governing body, issued for the calendar year (§ 290-4C). Moosic: no removal of refuse from dumpsters between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. (§ 137-5), and a temporary dumpster is one on the premises for no more than 60 days in a calendar year (§ 137-1). Dunmore: the Borough does not pick up construction debris and does not accept clean outs, and its 2025 recycling ordinance reserves household recycling to the Borough (Ord. 3 of 2025 § 9). Blakely: the Borough rents its own 6 cubic yard dumpsters to residents for up to a week, with no shingles, concrete, dirt, stone, bricks or block allowed. Throop: trucks over 40 feet long are barred on Edgar Street, except local deliveries (Ord. 5 of 2022).

No rule found for a roll-off in Taylor (the Borough collects residential refuse, § 148-27, and its road closure form does not mention dumpsters), Olyphant (no refuse or street ordinance is posted), Jessup (one contracted hauler for homes; we found no exclusive-hauler ordinance and no dumpster permit), Moscow (garbage is "the responsibility of the individual property owners", and "Permits are required by the Borough for, but not limited to, all construction, alteration, repairs, demolition …") and Mayfield (the Borough's 2026 request for trash contract bids leaves out trade waste, which includes building materials from construction, demolition and remodeling; we found no exclusive clause and no dumpster permit). In these towns we check with the Borough before a street placement, and the driveway comes first.

Building-site container rules

Some codes put the container on the job's checklist. In Archbald, a contractor doing construction work must produce a receipt for a dumpster, plus a signed disposal plan, before a building or occupancy permit is issued; if the Building Inspector decides no dumpster is needed, financial security is posted instead, and the dumpster must be clearly marked and placed so it is no hazard to pedestrians or traffic (§ 408-21). In Blakely, demolition needs a construction permit application first (Ord. 6 of 2025). In Dunmore and Dickson City, a business or commercial property using a dumpster must keep a lid or cover on it and not fill it past the point the lid closes (Dunmore Ord. 3 of 2025 § 6.A(b); Dickson City Ord. 9-2011 § 6.E(b)). If the container is for a permitted building site, tell us when you book.

What this means when you book

Tell us the address and where you want the box. In Scranton the driveway comes first, and for a street spot we arrange the City's street permit or check the rules with you before booking. A state highway means the driveway, every time. In Archbald, Jermyn, Dalton and Dickson City we check the Borough's rules before booking; in Carbondale and Clarks Summit a street spot needs a permit. Call (570) 354-0618 — the phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.