The City of Decatur requires a Right of Way Permit any time you place something in the City’s right-of-way, which includes a dumpster or storage POD in the street or on a sidewalk. The permit is handled by the City’s Design, Environment and Construction division. The submission includes:

• a site sketch showing what will be in the right-of-way,
• a traffic control plan, if the City requires one,
• a $500 performance bond (the City’s listed amount for smaller projects such as a dumpster, storage POD or driveway apron),
• either a contractor’s liability insurance certificate that references the job address, or a letter from the property owner accepting responsibility, and
• a $50 permit fee.

The bond is refunded after a final right-of-way inspection; the City’s application form estimates four to six weeks for the refund to arrive. Applications are filed online through the City’s permitting portal, not on paper or by email.

The dumpster is not the only permit to think about. The City requires a building permit for repairs or maintenance valued at $1,000 or more, any roofing or structural work, any work in a local historic district, and any work that blocks or affects sidewalks or streets. If your project already has a building permit, ask your provider how the container placement fits into it. Sources: City of Decatur Permit Requirements and How To Obtain A Permit.

Trash rules change at the city line, so confirm which side your address is on before you order.

• Inside the City of Decatur: City Sanitation collects bulky items like furniture and appliances as part of regular service. Items that contain freon carry a $50 fee, and up to four tires are picked up with regular service. If you only have a few large items, that may be enough without a dumpster.
• Unincorporated DeKalb County: DeKalb County requires commercial establishments in unincorporated areas, and in cities with an intergovernmental agreement, to use County-provided commercial solid waste service, and says private haulers are not permitted. The County rents 10, 20, 30 and 40 yard roll-off containers to commercial accounts for up to two weeks per request. Homeowners should ask their provider how this applies to their address.

Sources: City of Decatur Public Works FAQs and DeKalb County Commercial Service.

DeKalb County’s own landfill is the Seminole Road Landfill, 4203 Clevemont Road, Ellenwood, GA 30294. It is open Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm and Saturday 8am to 4pm, and it accepts construction materials. Its 2026 fee schedule lists:

• Construction and demolition material: $99.80 per ton
• Industrial and commercial waste: $99.80 per ton
• Minimum processing fee: $14.70
• Appliances containing freon: $50.40 each
• Tires: $3.50 under 18 inches, $16 over 18 inches, $30 with rims

Because landfills charge by the ton, heavy loads like roofing shingles, brick and dirt raise the final bill more than the container size does. Private providers may use other permitted facilities, so ask where your load is going and how weight overages are billed. Sources: DeKalb County 2026 Landfill Fees and DeKalb Bulky Items and Seminole Road Landfill.

Georgia’s solid waste rules prohibit these from disposal at any solid waste disposal facility in the state:

• Lead-acid batteries (car and truck batteries)
• Liquid waste, with narrow exceptions
• Regulated hazardous waste, radioactive waste and PCB waste

Two more state rules matter for cleanouts and remodels:

• Whole tires: state law bars scrap tires from landfills unless they are shredded, chopped or chipped, with small exceptions.
• Yard trimmings: leaves, brush, grass clippings and prunings are banned from lined municipal landfills, so keep yard waste out of a mixed debris load unless your provider says otherwise.

Asphalt roofing shingles may only go to construction and demolition or municipal solid waste landfills. As one local example, DeKalb County’s own roll-off service does not accept tires, propane tanks, paint, batteries, chemicals, asbestos, liquids, dirt or rocks, or tree debris. Your provider will give you its own list before delivery. Sources: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-3-4-.04, O.C.G.A. 12-8-40.1 and Georgia EPD Yard Trimmings Management.

Decatur has local historic districts: the MAK District, Clairemont District, Ponce de Leon Court, Old Decatur District and Parkwood District, plus two local landmarks, the Old DeKalb County Courthouse and the Old Scottish Rite Hospital campus. The Decatur Historic Preservation Commission issues a Certificate of Appropriateness for material exterior changes there, so a remodel or demolition may need approval before work and delivery are scheduled.

City construction hours are 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 5pm Saturday. No work is allowed on Sunday without prior City Manager approval, so plan loading and pickup around those hours.

Many Decatur homes back onto alleys, and the City says most alleys are private: each owner owns the part next to their lot, up to the centerline, and no one owner may close part of a shared alley and block another owner’s access. Keep the container out of a shared alley unless the neighbors agree. Sources: Decatur Local Historic Districts and Decatur Public Works FAQs.

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

• 10 yard: $380 to $479
• 15 yard: $430 to $529
• 20 yard: $470 to $569
• 30 yard: $619 (one published price)

These quotes are not apples to apples. The lower prices were for a 7 day rental; the higher set included a 10 day rental and a set weight allowance (1 ton for a 10 yard up to 2.5 tons for a 30 yard). One national provider listed a Decatur roll-off range of $405 to $916, with an average of $633, across all its sizes. Ask every provider what is included: rental days, tons, and the charge per extra ton or day. Send one request to compare quotes for your exact project.