Driveway vs street
Driveway: Containers placed entirely on private property (driveway or construction site) do not require a city encroachment permit. The permit is triggered only when the box encroaches on the public right-of-way - street, curb line, or sidewalk. Homeowners should still avoid blocking sidewalks and check HOA rules in managed communities.
Street / right-of-way: Yes. San Ramon requires an Encroachment Permit from Public Works Engineering Services for any dumpster, roll-off, or portable storage unit placed in the public right-of-way (street, curb, or sidewalk). The city explicitly names 'dumpsters and/or portable outdoor storage units' as examples of work requiring the permit. Placing a roll-off on a street without one can result in fines and removal at the contractor's expense.
Office: City of San Ramon Public Works - Engineering Services Division / Permit Center, 7000 Bollinger Canyon Rd, San Ramon, CA 94583. Permits/inspections: (925) 973-2692 or (925) 973-2670; Public Works main line: (925) 973-2500.
Fee: Per the adopted FY 2024-25 Master Fee Schedule (Resolution 2024-051, eff. 7/1/2024): routine encroachment permit application & filing fee $250/hr (1-hr minimum) plus permit inspection fee $237/hr (2-hr minimum) and a 4.6% technology surcharge - so a simple routine placement typically starts around $250 plus inspection time if required. Note: a FY 2025/26 schedule (Resolution 2025-036) has since been adopted and updates many fees; confirm the current amount with the Permit Center before publishing exact totals.
Where debris legally goes
| Facility | Gate fees |
|---|---|
| Pleasanton Transfer Station (Pleasanton Garbage Service Transfer Station & MRF) 3110 Busch Rd, Pleasanton, CA 94566 - (925) 846-2042 | Published rates effective 7/1/2025: Commercial customers & non-Pleasanton residents - household garbage $36.85/cu yd (also the minimum charge), construction/demolition debris $46.47/cu yd, hard-to-handle items $70.51/cu yd, heavy material (dirt, concrete, rock) $184.30/ton. Pleasanton residents - $15.01/cu yd, $9.73 minimum, $83.12/ton. |
| Altamont Landfill & Resource Recovery (WM) 10840 Altamont Pass Rd, Livermore, CA 94550 - office (925) 455-7300, commercial accounts (925) 421-5164 | Published fee schedule effective 1/19/2026: MSW/C&D disposal $164.10/ton in-county (Alameda & San Francisco); C&D from out-of-county (incl. Contra Costa - i.e., San Ramon loads) $169.94/ton; car/pickup/SUV minimum load $136.75 in-county / $202.84 out-of-county; clean concrete, asphalt, brick $45.58/ton (commercial truck); clean residential soil $52.42/ton. A variable weekly ENERGY surcharge and an 18.9% Waste Water Management charge are added to each load. |
| Vasco Road Landfill (Republic Services) 4001 N. Vasco Rd, Livermore, CA 94550 - (925) 447-0491 | Accepts residential/commercial garbage, construction debris, appliances, metals, wood, and tires. A full public gate-rate sheet is not published online - call for current rates before hauling. |
Local rules worth knowing
- FRANCHISE (why the site anchors in San Ramon): Pleasanton Municipal Code Ch. 9.20 grants an exclusive franchise for collection of all solid waste, recyclables, and organics to Pleasanton Garbage Service (PGS), service is mandatory for every residential/commercial/industrial unit, and PGS supplies the 15-40 yd drop boxes - third-party roll-off rental cannot legally operate inside Pleasanton city limits.
- SAN RAMON HAULER LICENSING: ACI of San Ramon is the exclusive hauler for GARBAGE, including garbage in drop boxes/roll-offs (rates set by the City's contract, (925) 380-9480). Dumpster service for source-separated RECYCLABLES and C&D debris (cardboard, metal, wood, yard trimmings, dirt, concrete, mixed C&D) is competitive/free-market, but haulers must obtain a non-exclusive transporter permit from the City - the City's published list includes Republic Services, Pacific Sanitation, Amador Valley Industries, Mt. Diablo Recycling, Ground Force Enterprises, Premier Recycle, FERMA, Waste Management, Green Waste Recovery, and ACI.
- SAN RAMON C&D DIVERSION ORDINANCE: Covered projects must reuse or recycle at least 65% of C&D debris (per the Municipal Code and CALGreen). All complete demolitions and any project valued at $100,000+ must submit a signed Waste Management Plan via sanramon.wastetracking.com and have it approved before the building/demolition permit is issued, then document actual diversion with weight/volume records.
- BULK PICKUP LIMITS (the dumpster trigger): ACI gives San Ramon single-family homes three scheduled Neighborhood Clean-Up Days per year, limited to about 3 cubic yards of material plus two large bulky items (60-200 lbs each) per event; additional or off-schedule bulky pickups are charged per item. Anything beyond that - remodels, roof tear-offs, estate cleanouts - needs a rented debris box.
- STREET PLACEMENT: Any roll-off in the San Ramon public right-of-way requires an Encroachment Permit from Public Works ((925) 973-2692); driveway/private-property placement needs no city permit.
- NEARBY CLOSED MARKETS (service-area honesty): Dublin (Amador Valley Industries) and Livermore (Livermore Sanitation) also hold exclusive franchises covering drop boxes - using any other company there violates city ordinance. Danville, Alamo, and Walnut Creek (RecycleSmart JPA area) allow non-franchise C&D debris boxes only through RecycleSmart's registered C&D transporter program (Ordinance 12-2).
- PLEASANTON C&D RULE (for reference content): Pleasanton's C&D ordinance (PMC Ch. 9.21, Ord. 1992) requires a minimum 75% overall diversion rate and an electronic Waste Management Plan filed through the city's tracking system before any building/demolition permit issues - but hauling in Pleasanton must go through PGS.
- Service-area note: Pleasanton is a closed market - PMC Ch. 9.20 grants Pleasanton Garbage Service (PGS) the exclusive right to collect solid waste citywide, and PGS itself supplies the 15-40 yd drop boxes, so the anchor was moved to adjacent San Ramon, where garbage roll-offs are exclusive to ACI but C&D/recyclables debris boxes are open to third-party haulers holding a non-exclusive City transporter permit (the City publishes a list of ~10 permitted companies).
Asked constantly
Do I need a permit in San Ramon?
Yes. San Ramon requires an Encroachment Permit from Public Works Engineering Services for any dumpster, roll-off, or portable storage unit placed in the public right-of-way (street, curb, or sidewalk). The city explicitly names 'dumpsters and/or portable outdoor storage units' as examples of work requiring the permit. Placing a roll-off on a street without one can result in fines and removal at the contractor's expense.
Who handles it?
City of San Ramon Public Works - Engineering Services Division / Permit Center, 7000 Bollinger Canyon Rd, San Ramon, CA 94583. Permits/inspections: (925) 973-2692 or (925) 973-2670; Public Works main line: (925) 973-2500.
What does it cost?
Per the adopted FY 2024-25 Master Fee Schedule (Resolution 2024-051, eff. 7/1/2024): routine encroachment permit application & filing fee $250/hr (1-hr minimum) plus permit inspection fee $237/hr (2-hr minimum) and a 4.6% technology surcharge - so a simple routine placement typically starts around $250 plus inspection time if required. Note: a FY 2025/26 schedule (Resolution 2025-036) has since been adopted and updates many fees; confirm the current amount with the Permit Center before publishing exact totals.
Last updated August 2026 · local rules and rates checked for San Ramon and nearby cities.