Residential dumpster directory

San Diego, CA

Dumpster rental in San Diego — size, street permit, typical price

This page is for San Diego homeowners who need a residential roll-off for a remodel, cleanout, roof, or yard job. It covers which size fits the work, when a street permit is required, typical published prices (each source labeled separately), and what the city will not take in a box.

Last researched August 29, 2026. Not a quote desk.

Size chooser

Uses the Dumpsters.com national size chart plus San Diego notes from Dumpsters.com (verified 8/22/2026) and Haul’n Off’s 2026 local guide.

10 yard

Best for: heavy debris (dirt, concrete, brick, roofing shingles), half-bath remodel, garage junk, removing a wall, yard waste. Fill heavy material only partway so the weight cap is not blown.

Dumpsters.com size chart: about 3 pickup-truck loads; typical box 14′ × 7.5′ × 3.5′. National FAQ: preferred size for roofing materials.

Haul’n Off 2026 San Diego notes: bathroom remodels, minor garage cleanouts, and heavy dirt/concrete; local roofers use 10-yard roofing bins and do not mix shingles with lighter debris. Kitchen guts are often a 10-yard here.

Dumpsters.com size chart · Haul’n Off 2026 SD

20 yard

Best for: full kitchen tear-out (cabinets, counters, flooring, appliances), whole-house cleanouts, typical home renovation, large deck removal. Most-used residential size on both cited guides.

Dumpsters.com size chart: about 6 pickup-truck loads; typical box 22′ × 7.5′ × 4.5′. Heavy shingles still belong in a 10-yard if weight, not volume, is the limiter.

Haul’n Off 2026 San Diego notes: whole-home cleanouts, large decks, and roofing when the limiter is volume. Dumpsters.com San Diego page (8/22/2026): small renovations, attic/basement cleanouts, downsizing.

Dumpsters.com size chart · Haul’n Off 2026 SD

30 yard

Best for: estate cleanouts, home additions, garage demolition, complete gut renovations. Often needs a two-car driveway.

Dumpsters.com size chart: about 9 pickup-truck loads; typical box 22′ × 7.5′ × 6′. Do not use for concrete, brick, or shingles — weight, not volume, will cap the load.

Haul’n Off 2026 San Diego notes: major additions, gut renovations, large tree removals. Dumpsters.com San Diego page (8/22/2026): garage demolition, additions, estate cleanout.

Dumpsters.com 30-yard · Haul’n Off 2026 SD

40 yard

Best for: home flipping, major demolition, complete estate cleanouts. Typical box is about 8 ft tall.

Dumpsters.com size chart: about 12 pickup-truck loads; typical box 22′ × 7.5′ × 8′. Heavy debris still goes in a 10-yard.

Haul’n Off 2026 San Diego notes: large-scale demolition and complete estate cleanouts; often a better fit on a jobsite than on a residential street.

Dumpsters.com 40-yard · Haul’n Off 2026 SD

Street permit

Required? YES — public right-of-way, including the sidewalk.

A Traffic Control Permit is required when a dumpster encroaches into the public right-of-way, including the sidewalk. Authority: City of San Diego Information Bulletin 718 (July 2026), citing San Diego Municipal Code §129.0702.

Private-property placement is not covered by IB-718. The city never published a “driveway = no permit” rule. The parkway between curb and property line is often public right-of-way (generally about 10 ft from curb face). Confirm with the city before you place a box.

How to apply

  • Complete Traffic Control Plan/Permit Form DS-269 and a traffic-control plan (IB-718 points to “Components of a Typical Dumpster Plan”).
  • Submit electronically through the DSD Traffic Control Permit page.
  • New permits and extensions can take about 15 business days to process (TCP landing page, fetched 8/29/2026).
  • Give at least 3 working days’ notice before placing the dumpster (IB-718).
  • Post Tow-Away / No Parking signs 72 hours before placement; deactivate meters where they apply.

Fees (IB-718, July 2026)

  • Traffic Control Dumpster Fee: $176.57 per month
  • Traffic Control Processing Fee: $87.68 (flat)
  • Together, without meters: $264.25
  • Metered space: $20.00 per meter, per day

Placement (IB-718)

  • 10 ft clearance from the dumpster door to the nearest obstruction
  • 25 ft from the dumpster door to an alley or curb return
  • 15 ft from the dumpster door to a fire hydrant
  • Not in front of a painted curb: red (no-parking), white (passenger loading), or blue (accessibility)

Do not confuse this with a POD / storage container. IB-718’s “permit valid up to 7 days” sentence is for storage containers only. The dumpster fee is billed per month (IB-177, May 2026, labels the same $176.57 fee “up to 4 weeks”).

Typical price

Sourced ranges, not a single quote. Each row is labeled with the date and what that page actually measures. These are not mashed into one invented band.

Dumpsters.com San Diego — blended roll-off

Verified 8/22/2026. All sizes blended. 7-day period is not stated on that city page. By-size dollars are not printed.

$615–$1,430. Average $880.

Dumpster Champs — explicit 7-day list

Last updated June 27, 2026. Single-vendor published flat rate: delivery, pickup, 7-day rental, and a weight allowance.

Size 7-day list
10 yard$795
20 yard$895
30 yard$995
40 yard$1,095

Hometown — August 2026 quote sample

Updated August 2026. Based on 20 recent San Diego quotes. Duration varies by size class. No 30-yard row on that page.

Size class Range Period on page
10-class (6–12 yard)$588–$1,0274–10 days
20-class (14–21 yard)$809–$1,2683–10 days
40 yard$960–$1,0477 days

Haul’n Off — 2026 averages

2026 local guide. Period is not labeled 7-day. Figures below are the published averages, not the wide tails on that page.

Size Average
10 yard$558
20 yard$637
30 yard$752
40 yard$850

Published 7-day asks in mid-2026 clustered near $800–$1,100 depending on size; blended city indexes run wider. Weight limits and tonnage overages are usually extra — we did not invent those numbers so they are omitted.

What not to put in

From the City of San Diego Household Hazardous Waste page and the Miramar Landfill unacceptable-waste flyer. These items do not go in a residential dumpster.

  • Paint, stains, lacquers, varnishes, paint thinner, and solvents
  • Batteries (alkaline, lead-acid, lithium, nickel-cadmium, mercury)
  • E-waste, TVs, CRTs, and computer monitors
  • Appliances that contain Freon / refrigerant
  • Tires
  • Friable asbestos
  • Motor oil, oil filters, and other auto fluids
  • Aerosols, compressed-gas cylinders, and propane
  • Pesticides and pool chemicals
  • Fluorescent, HID, and CFL lamps
  • Mercury items (thermometers, thermostats, switches)
  • Solar / photovoltaic panels
  • Sharps and medical waste
  • Explosives, ammunition, and flares

City HHW drop-off: 5161 Convoy St, San Diego. Appointment only. Wednesday and Saturday, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. (City HHW page, fetched 8/29/2026).

Gotchas

  • 15 ft from dumpster door to a fire hydrant (IB-718).
  • 25 ft from dumpster door to an alley or curb return (IB-718).
  • No placement in front of a red, white, or blue painted curb (IB-718).
  • Tow-Away / No Parking signs 72 hours before placement (IB-718).
  • Traffic-control plans must show bike lanes and bike buffers (IB-177). That is a plan requirement, not a dumpster-specific ban.
  • About 15 business days for the city to process a new Traffic Control Permit (TCP landing page).
  • The parkway is often public ROW — generally about 10 ft from curb face to property line (Think Blue construction BMP). A strip that looks like your yard can still be city space.
  • HOA rules and CC&Rs are not the city permit. Check them separately.

Sources