What are Bellaire dumpster and portable toilet rules?
Short answer: Dumpsters must be totally screened and kept at least 20 feet from the property line of a property in residential use. Construction sites need a metal roll-off container for debris. Portable toilets, when the building official requires them, must stay on private property, fully screened, and facing away from the street, never on public streets or sidewalks.
What are Bellaire dumpster and portable toilet rules?
Layer twoWhat the code actually says, word for wordTap to open
This answer quotes no code text; see the sources below.
City Code Sec. 16-21. · City Code Sec. 9-5. · City Code Sec. 9-5(j).Layer threeWho handles it: Development Services Department (construction sites and portable toilets)Map
Dumpsters
"All dumpsters shall be totally screened through the use of permanent wood, metal or masonry materials," forming a complete visual barrier that extends at least three feet above the highest point of the dumpster. Dumpster areas must stay closed, and doors and gates must be closed, locked or latched so only authorized people can get in. The minimum distance between any property line of a property in residential use and a dumpster is not less than 20 feet.
Rule: City Code Sec. 16-21.
Roll-off containers on job sites
Sec. 9-5 requires that the job site "shall provide a metal roll-off container(s) of adequate size to hold all debris, refuse or other garbage from the job site prior to the start of construction."
Rule: City Code Sec. 9-5.
Portable toilets
"The person or corporation in charge of the site shall provide portable sanitary facilities at construction sites as determined necessary by the building official. It shall be unlawful to place portable sanitary facilities on any public grounds, including public streets or sidewalks." They must be kept on private property, fully screened with opaque fencing, with an access gate, oriented to face away from the abutting public right-of-way, and secured before predicted high wind or storm events when they cannot be removed.
Rule: City Code Sec. 9-5(j).
What happens if you don't
We did not find a fine in Sec. 16-21, so the general penalty applies: a fine of up to $2,000, because solid-waste rules are public health and sanitation rules, and each day counts as a new offense (Sec. 1-10; Texas Local Government Code Sec. 54.001). Two other Chapter 16 sections set their own minimums. Servicing a dumpster outside the permitted hours is a misdemeanor with a fine of not less than $200.00 for each day (Sec. 16-22), and the warning-sign section says entering a fenced dumpster area without authorization or scavenging brings a fine of not less than $200.00 for each violation (Sec. 16-24). Sec. 9-5 sets no fine of its own, so for portable toilets and roll-offs the general penalty is a fine of up to $500, and each day counts as a new offense (Sec. 1-10).
Who to call
Development Services Department (construction sites and portable toilets); Public Works Department (solid-waste dumpster questions).
Sources
- City of Bellaire Code of Ordinances, Sec. 16-21, Sec. 16-22, Sec. 16-24, Sec. 9-5, Sec. 1-10. library.municode.com/tx/bellaire
- City of Bellaire FAQ on residential construction site standards. https://www.bellairetx.gov/FAQ.aspx?TID=0
En español
¿Dónde puedo poner un contenedor o un baño portátil en Bellaire? Los contenedores (dumpsters) deben estar totalmente apantallados y a no menos de 20 pies de la línea de propiedad de una propiedad de uso residencial. Las obras deben tener un contenedor metálico roll-off para escombros. Los baños portátiles, cuando el oficial de construcción los exige, deben quedar en propiedad privada, apantallados y orientados lejos de la calle; no en banquetas ni calles públicas. No encontramos una multa en la Sec. 16-21, por lo que se aplica la multa general de hasta $2,000, y cada día cuenta como una infracción nueva (Sec. 1-10). Dar servicio a un contenedor fuera del horario permitido puede costar no menos de $200.00 por día (Sec. 16-22), y entrar sin permiso a un contenedor cercado o hurgar en él puede costar no menos de $200.00 por infracción (Sec. 16-24). Las reglas de la Sec. 9-5 pueden costar hasta $500 (Sec. 1-10). Para preguntas de obra, comuníquese con Servicios de Desarrollo; para basura, con Obras Públicas.