Driveway vs street
Driveway: Roll-offs go on private property only - driveway or job site - on a property with a valid agreement with the franchisee (Sec. 14-21(13)). The City may require a container to be relocated or replaced if it becomes an unsightly nuisance, causes a code violation, poses a threat to the surrounding environment, threatens public health or safety, or becomes unsanitary or inoperable. Service-hour restriction (Sec. 14-21(2)): it is unlawful to provide roll-off container service between 12:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Monday, between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and at any time on Sunday - the effective delivery/pickup window is 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Equipment marking (Sec. 14-21(12)): every truck must be marked on both sides and every roll-off container must be marked with the franchisee's name, in letters and numerals at least two inches high, positioned to be seen from the abutting street at all times. Residential carts are a separate matter: city-issued roll-out carts must be placed off the street but within 3 feet of the curb, edge of pavement or bike lane, and at least 3 feet from any obstruction (Sec. 14-6(7)).
Street / right-of-way: No street permit is available - street placement is PROHIBITED. Boca Raton Code Sec. 14-21(13) states plainly: "Roll off containers shall not be placed in the public right-of-way." Containers may only be placed, or allowed to remain, on a property that has a valid service agreement with the franchisee. (Sec. 25-9(3) separately requires the abutting property owner to obtain a city permit before placing any object or obstruction in a public right-of-way, but Sec. 14-21(13) is a categorical bar for C&D roll-offs, so there is no encroachment path for a dumpster on the street.) The gating approval is instead the non-exclusive C&D franchise itself: per Sec. 14-21(1), "No person, firm or corporation shall place and/or service roll-off containers for the collection and transport of C&D debris in the city without first applying for and receiving a non-exclusive franchise from the city." Franchise term max 5 years, all franchises expire September 30, renewal application due on or before September 30. Applications go to the Public Works & Engineering Department and are granted or denied by the Public Works & Engineering Director, with appeal to the City Manager (14 days, by certified mail). Commercial dumpsters/compactors require a separate non-exclusive franchise under Sec. 14-22.
Office: City of Boca Raton Public Works & Engineering Department - Public Works Administration, 561-416-3360 (franchise questions); Sanitation Services 561-416-3367 and 561-416-3384 (franchise documents / remittance reports); City Hall, 201 West Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, FL 33432, main 561-393-7700.
Fee: NOT FULLY PUBLISHED - hedge in content. The code sets the franchise application fee and the annual franchise fee by reference to the "Boca Raton Municipal Facilities and Services User Fee Schedule" (Sec. 14-21(7), (8)(f)) rather than stating dollar amounts, and the amounts are not published on the city's franchise page; confirm current figures with Public Works Administration at 561-416-3360. Fee proration IS in the code: full annual fee if granted Oct 1-Mar 31, one-half if Apr 1-Jun 30, one-quarter if Jul 1-Sep 30. Amounts that ARE fixed in the code: a $15,000.00 performance bond, cash or letter of credit (in later years, the lesser of the prior 12 months' franchise fees or $15,000); commercial general liability insurance of not less than $300,000.00 bodily injury per occurrence and not less than $50,000.00 per occurrence / $50,000.00 aggregate property damage. Franchisees also pay a monthly non-exclusive franchise activity fee calculated as a percentage of total gross revenue for the preceding month - including charges for furnishing containers, disposal costs and container transport - with the percentage set by the user fee schedule (not stated in the code). Do NOT cite the $580 right-of-way permit fee in Sec. 25-219: that is the telecommunications/utility construction permit and does not apply to dumpsters.
Where debris legally goes
| Facility | Gate fees |
|---|---|
| SWA South County Transfer Station & HCRC (Delray Transfer Station) 1901 SW 4th Avenue, Delray Beach, FL (eastern Delray Beach) - nearest SWA transfer station to Boca Raton, roughly 10 miles north | Per the SWA Tipping Fee Rate Schedule, effective 11/1/2025 (rates apply at ALL SWA facilities): Construction Debris/Large Vegetation $80.00/ton; Garbage $42.00/ton; Trash $42.00/ton; Vegetation $35.00/ton; C/D Recycling Residue $25.00/ton; White Goods (appliances) $10.00/ton; Whole tires without rims $125.00/ton; Restricted Use Fill $4.00/ton. Minimum charge $10.00. Unsecured load surcharge $10.00 each. Out-of-county garbage/C&D/trash $156.00/ton. Mixed loads are charged at the higher waste-category rate. Yardage rates apply only if the scales are inoperative. Cash, Visa/Mastercard/Discover, or an approved SWA charge account. Verify current schedule before publishing - SWA revises it periodically. |
| SWA Southwest County Transfer Station & HCRC (West Delray Transfer Station) 13400 S. State Road 7, Delray Beach, FL (western Delray Beach) - serves the western Boca Raton / SR-7 corridor | Same SWA Tipping Fee Rate Schedule as all SWA facilities, effective 11/1/2025: C&D $80.00/ton, Garbage $42.00/ton, Trash $42.00/ton, Vegetation $35.00/ton, $10.00 minimum charge, $10.00 unsecured-load surcharge, out-of-county garbage/C&D/trash $156.00/ton. |
| SWA North County Landfill Complex 6330 N. Jog Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33412 (SWA administrative address 7501 N Jog Road; Renewable Energy Facilities #1/#2 at 6895 N. Jog Road) | Same SWA schedule effective 11/1/2025: Construction Debris/Large Vegetation $80.00/ton; Garbage $42.00/ton; Trash $42.00/ton; Vegetation $35.00/ton; $10.00 minimum; out-of-county garbage/C&D/trash $156.00/ton. IMPORTANT ROUTING RULE: SWA transfer stations and the Renewable Energy Facilities CANNOT accept concrete, chain-link fencing, block, brick, tile, steel, rebar, roofing material, construction lumber, trusses, pallets, dirt, fill, sod, stumps or tree remains over 50 lbs or 6 ft, tires, animals/animal waste, sludge, or tractor-trailer loads - those loads must go to the North County Landfill. Loads with more than a small quantity of those materials will be rejected at a transfer station. |
Local rules worth knowing
- BULK PICKUP LIMIT - THE DUMPSTER TRIGGER (Boca Raton): single-family homes get bulk collection once a week, on the same day as recycling and vegetation. Bulk items larger than 2 cubic yards (about a washer and dryer) are NOT taken on the free weekly run - they require the City's "Pay for Pickup Option," a minimum fee of $161.71 for items up to 2 cubic yards plus $35.66 per additional cubic yard. Schedule via Sanitation at 561-416-3367. This is the single strongest conversion angle: a 10-yard roll-off beats paying $161.71 + $35.66/yd for anything past a couple of items.
- THE CITY WILL NOT TOUCH CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS AT ALL. Boca Raton's published Statement of Responsibility: "the City is not responsible for the removal of any vegetation, bulk or construction debris or any other waste generated or created by a private company of any kind. This includes any material left at the curb by hired landscapers." Code Sec. 14-13(2) puts the duty on the contractor: anyone employed for maintenance, repair, construction, remodeling, installation or demolition is responsible for collecting, transporting and disposing of all solid waste generated. Any renovation or demo job in Boca Raton therefore needs a franchised roll-off or a self-haul.
- HAULER LICENSING - C&D: a non-exclusive City franchise is mandatory before placing or servicing any C&D roll-off (Sec. 14-21(1)), and it is in addition to any business tax receipt or other license. Requirements include performance history and business history references, proof of good standing, an equipment list, a sworn and notarized statement that only county/state/federally approved disposal sites will be used, $300,000/$50,000 insurance, and a $15,000 performance bond. The City may deny an application for prior operation without a franchise, prior termination within 5 years, or insufficient experience, equipment, staff or disposal plan. There are currently 13 authorized C&D haulers, so the franchise is genuinely obtainable - this is a competitive licensed market, not a closed one.
- HAULER LICENSING - COMMERCIAL: a SEPARATE non-exclusive franchise is required under Sec. 14-22 to place or service dumpsters, roll-offs or compactors for commercial solid waste, or to transport commercial solid waste over city streets. The City may limit the number of these franchises where it deems the limitation in the public interest. Five commercial haulers are currently authorized (Coastal Waste & Recycling, FCC Environmental, Panzarella, Waste Management, Waste Pro). Sec. 14-22(4) preserves franchisee rights under F.S. 403.70605, Florida's statutory notice protection for existing commercial solid waste haulers.
- NO ROLL-OFFS IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY (Sec. 14-21(13)) - a hard prohibition, with no encroachment or street-occupancy permit available. Containers go on the driveway or job site only, on a property holding a valid agreement with the franchisee. Sec. 25-9 backs this up: no object or obstruction may be placed in a public right-of-way without the abutting owner first obtaining a city permit, the owner must clear a violation within 2 days of notice, and after that the City may remove and dispose of the obstruction, charge the cost to the abutting owner, and lien the property.
- DELIVERY AND PICKUP HOURS (Sec. 14-21(2)): no roll-off container service between 12:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Monday, between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday, or at any time on Sunday. Practical window: 7:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., Monday-Saturday. No Sunday swaps.
- CONTAINER MARKING (Sec. 14-21(12)): every roll-off container and both sides of every hauling truck must carry the franchisee's name in letters and numerals at least 2 inches high, visible from the abutting street at all times. An unmarked box in a Boca Raton driveway is a code violation on its face.
- DISPOSAL ROUTING / C&D DIVERSION: Palm Beach County disposal runs through the Solid Waste Authority. Franchisees must swear they will use only approved disposal sites. SWA permits private C&D recyclers under SWA Rule 1 specifically to recycle C&D and yard trash and to "prevent the illegal disposal of these materials," and rewards recovery with a discounted $25.00/ton C/D Recycling Residue rate for permitted recyclers versus $80.00/ton for raw construction debris - a real diversion incentive worth explaining to customers. Loads with more than de minimis recoverable material are charged the full CD rate.
- MIXED-LOAD AND WEIGH-OUT RULES AT SWA: mixed loads are billed at the higher waste-category rate, so separating clean vegetation ($35/ton) or clean fill ($4/ton) from C&D ($80/ton) saves real money. All customers must weigh out unless a tare weight is on file - leave without weighing out and the fee is based on the full loaded weight including the vehicle. Weigh out after posted closing and the transaction cannot be completed; excess deposits of $10 or more are refunded only on written request within seven days.
- OUT-OF-COUNTY SURCHARGE: SWA charges $156.00/ton for out-of-county garbage, C&D and trash versus $42-$80/ton in-county. Waste generated in Broward (including Deerfield Beach) cannot be quietly tipped at Palm Beach County rates, and vice versa - a live consideration for any operator working both sides of the county line.
- RESIDENTIAL GARBAGE IS CITY-ONLY IN BOCA RATON (Sec. 14-3): the City collects solid waste, bulk, vegetative and recyclables for all single-family and two-family dwellings and solid waste for all multi-family units, and every unit must pay the applicable fees. There is no third-party residential garbage market - the private opportunity is temporary C&D and commercial roll-off work under franchise.
- BULK PLACEMENT MECHANICS (Boca Raton): bulk goes in the swale at the paved edge of the right-of-way no earlier than 24 hours before collection and no later than 7:00 a.m. on collection day, at least 5 feet from garbage containers and other obstructions, and never under overhead utilities or within 10 feet of any utility, fire hydrant, mailbox, tree, shrub or other hazard. Items under a power line, tree or other obstruction will not be collected, and bulk not separated from vegetation will not be collected at any time.
- DEERFIELD BEACH - FOR REFERENCE ONLY, DO NOT SELL INTO IT: the City is the sole hauler. Sec. 58-66 (exclusive residential collection), Sec. 58-81 (exclusive commercial collection), Sec. 58-82 (mandatory City subscription and City billing), and Sec. 58-1 ("Construction and demolition debris is solid waste") close the market; Sec. 58-117 authorizes the City to post, impound and dispose of any container placed by a non-registrant. The City's own roll-off program runs 20-40 cubic yards with a 21-day maximum rental and collection hours of Monday-Friday 6:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.; order at 954-480-4400 / 954-480-4391. Sec. 58-51 does provide a special permit to transport garbage over city streets with a $10,000 surety bond, and Secs. 58-6(d) and 58-32(a) let a generator or property owner self-haul their own waste with proper approval - but neither creates a third-party dumpster rental market. If a Deerfield Beach service page is ever built, it must point customers to the City, not to a private roll-off.
- Service-area note: Deerfield Beach is a closed municipal monopoly and cannot support a third-party roll-off site: Code Sec. 58-66 gives the City exclusive collection of all residential refuse, bulk trash and solid waste; Sec. 58-81 gives the City exclusive collection of commercial refuse; Sec. 58-82 makes City service mandatory for every commercial account; Sec. 58-1 expressly states "Construction and demolition debris is solid waste"; the entire roll-off rate structure in the code (base rate, weight cap, trip fee, 21-day rental max) is the City's own service; and Sec. 58-117 lets the City impound any container placed by a non-registrant. The City's own site confirms "The City of Deerfield Beach is the sole hauler of garbage in the City." Re-anchored one city north to Boca Raton - the nearest adjacent city (shares the Broward/Palm Beach county line with Deerfield Beach), not covered anywhere in the existing network, and genuinely workable: Boca Raton issues NON-EXCLUSIVE C&D franchises to private collectors under Code Sec. 14-21 and currently lists 13 authorized C&D haulers. Honest caveat for content: Boca Raton is license-required, not truly open - a City C&D franchise is mandatory before placing or servicing any roll-off, and roll-offs are banned outright from the public right-of-way.
Asked constantly
Do I need a permit in Boca Raton?
No street permit is available - street placement is PROHIBITED. Boca Raton Code Sec. 14-21(13) states plainly: "Roll off containers shall not be placed in the public right-of-way." Containers may only be placed, or allowed to remain, on a property that has a valid service agreement with the franchisee. (Sec. 25-9(3) separately requires the abutting property owner to obtain a city permit before placing any object or obstruction in a public right-of-way, but Sec. 14-21(13) is a categorical bar for C&D roll-offs, so there is no encroachment path for a dumpster on the street.) The gating approval is instead the non-exclusive C&D franchise itself: per Sec. 14-21(1), "No person, firm or corporation shall place and/or service roll-off containers for the collection and transport of C&D debris in the city without first applying for and receiving a non-exclusive franchise from the city." Franchise term max 5 years, all franchises expire September 30, renewal application due on or before September 30. Applications go to the Public Works & Engineering Department and are granted or denied by the Public Works & Engineering Director, with appeal to the City Manager (14 days, by certified mail). Commercial dumpsters/compactors require a separate non-exclusive franchise under Sec. 14-22.
Who handles it?
City of Boca Raton Public Works & Engineering Department - Public Works Administration, 561-416-3360 (franchise questions); Sanitation Services 561-416-3367 and 561-416-3384 (franchise documents / remittance reports); City Hall, 201 West Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, FL 33432, main 561-393-7700.
What does it cost?
NOT FULLY PUBLISHED - hedge in content. The code sets the franchise application fee and the annual franchise fee by reference to the "Boca Raton Municipal Facilities and Services User Fee Schedule" (Sec. 14-21(7), (8)(f)) rather than stating dollar amounts, and the amounts are not published on the city's franchise page; confirm current figures with Public Works Administration at 561-416-3360. Fee proration IS in the code: full annual fee if granted Oct 1-Mar 31, one-half if Apr 1-Jun 30, one-quarter if Jul 1-Sep 30. Amounts that ARE fixed in the code: a $15,000.00 performance bond, cash or letter of credit (in later years, the lesser of the prior 12 months' franchise fees or $15,000); commercial general liability insurance of not less than $300,000.00 bodily injury per occurrence and not less than $50,000.00 per occurrence / $50,000.00 aggregate property damage. Franchisees also pay a monthly non-exclusive franchise activity fee calculated as a percentage of total gross revenue for the preceding month - including charges for furnishing containers, disposal costs and container transport - with the percentage set by the user fee schedule (not stated in the code). Do NOT cite the $580 right-of-way permit fee in Sec. 25-219: that is the telecommunications/utility construction permit and does not apply to dumpsters.
Last updated August 2026 · local rules and rates checked for Boca Raton and nearby cities.