The City of Decatur handles work in the public right-of-way through a Right of Way Permit to Work, issued by the City’s Engineering Department. If your dumpster will sit in the street, on a sidewalk or anywhere else in the public right-of-way, ask your provider to confirm whether it pulls this permit or you do.

On the City’s consolidated fee schedule, a right-of-way permit for a residential project is $550 and up: a $50 application fee plus a minimum $500 refundable deposit. Larger projects start at $5,150. Fees are set each fiscal year, so confirm the current amount with the City before you budget.

Building an apartment, business or industrial building? City Code Section 19-13(d) requires plans showing where garbage and commercial containers or pickup points will go, approved by the Sanitation Department, before a building permit is issued. Sources: City of Decatur Permits & Licenses, City of Decatur Consolidated Schedule of Fees and Decatur City Code, Chapter 19.

The City of Decatur runs the Morgan County Regional Landfill, 500 Landfill Drive, Trinity, AL 35673. It is open Monday to Friday 6am to 4pm and Saturday 7am to 11am, closed Sunday. Anyone unloading by hand must be through the gate 30 minutes before closing. It accepts household garbage, construction and demolition debris, tires, limbs, stumps and other non-hazardous waste.

The Decatur City Council updated the landfill fees in September 2026 (Ordinance 26-4665), effective October 1, 2026. Waste generated inside Morgan County now pays:

• Residential, construction and demolition, and commercial loads: $33.50 per ton
• Minimum charge: $25 for loads up to 740 pounds
• Waste from outside Morgan County: $38.50 per ton, $30 minimum

Weight is measured on City scales, every load must be covered and secured, and the landfill no longer accepts checks. Because the rate is per ton, shingles, brick and concrete drive the final price more than container size does. Source: City of Decatur Landfill Department.

The Morgan County Regional Landfill does not accept:

• Liquid waste
• Hazardous and toxic waste, including oil, paints, insecticides and batteries

Some items are accepted only with conditions or extra fees:

• Asbestos (friable and non-friable) only on a limited basis, after the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) approves it and the landfill schedules a date. The in-county fee is $300 per ton.
• Tires are accepted at a per-tire fee ($50 per passenger tire for in-county waste on the October 2026 schedule).
• Entangling materials such as cable, wire, rope, tubing and spools of wire carry their own rate ($45 per ton in county).

Most providers set their own list on top of this, so ask before you load anything unusual. Source: City of Decatur Landfill Department.

Decatur has five National Register historic districts: Bank Street/Old Decatur, East Old Town, West Old Town, and the Albany commercial (2nd Avenue) and residential districts around Delano Park. Portions of Old Decatur and the Albany residential district are locally zoned historic districts, which means exterior work on those properties goes through municipal design review by the City’s Architectural Review Board. If your remodel, roof or demolition is in one of those areas, get the review done before you schedule delivery.

A dumpster that will sit in the street or on a sidewalk needs the Right of Way Permit to Work described above. Source: City of Decatur Historic Preservation.

Published online prices from providers that serve Decatur, checked October 26, 2026:

• 20 yard: from $375 for five days with two tons included
• 30 yard: from $575 for five days with three tons included
• All sizes, one national provider: $395 to $782, with an average of $583

Rental days, included tons and overage charges differ from company to company, so compare full quotes rather than headline prices. Send one request to compare quotes for your exact project.