What it costs to dump in California: 2026 fees by area
What you pay to dump in California depends on who runs the dump where you live. Kern County residents dump household trash free; Sacramento County charges anyone $10 a carload; Orange County charges $15 for a small load of Orange County waste; Visalia and Redding charge $20; San Diego's Miramar Landfill charges $75; and in Los Angeles County, where every load is charged at least a ton, a carload costs $83.13 or more. At the scales, rates run from $29.52 a ton at Fresno County's American Avenue Disposal Site to about $123 at the South Gate and Redding transfer stations.
2026 cost to dump in California, area by area
| Area | Residents pay | Everyone else | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kern County (Bakersfield) | Free for residential household trash, yard waste and electronics at the Bena Landfill | Commercial $14.35 a car, $32.28 a pickup, $69.35 a ton; out-of-county $107.61 a ton | Construction debris is $95.66 a ton for everyone |
| Sacramento County | Same price for everyone: $10 a carload, $35 (Kiefer) or $40 (NARS) a pickup | Weighed loads $61.35 a ton at Kiefer ($45 minimum), $89.90 at NARS ($50 minimum) | Fees rise Jan. 1, 2027; City of Sacramento customers get a coupon for one free carload |
| Fresno County | $9.45 for a load up to 640 lbs at the American Avenue Disposal Site; City of Fresno customers get free dump days | $29.52 a ton | Wear a high-visibility vest; the landfill is west of Fresno near Kerman |
| Stanislaus County (Modesto) | Flat $12 for a car, SUV, van or pickup at the Fink Road Landfill | $49.68 a ton; Bertolotti Transfer Station in Ceres $92 a ton, $35 minimum | Uncovered loads pay double; card payments carry a surcharge |
| Tulare County (Visalia) | Flat $20 for a car, pickup or trailer under 8 feet; mattresses free | Weighed loads $36 a ton covered, $45 uncovered | First 4 tires and 2 appliances free per load; uncovered small loads $10 more |
| San Bernardino County (Victorville) | $13.71 up to 300 lbs; City of Victorville residents drop off bulky items free | $61.49 a ton over 300 lbs | The County's posted fees are dated July 2023; uncovered loads pay double |
| Riverside County (Riverside, Corona) | Flat $15.70 for a car, SUV, van or pickup; 2 bags of trash a day free | $52.68 a ton weighed, $43.20 minimum; pickup and trailer $43.20 | City of Riverside residents dump bulky items free every third Saturday at Agua Mansa |
| Merced County | Weighed: $43.05 a ton, $19 minimum; up to 10 mattresses free | Same rate for everyone at the Highway 59 Landfill | Every load is weighed; recyclables and clean concrete are free |
| Western Placer (Roseville) | $25.25 a cubic yard for most household loads; hazardous waste and electronics free | $109.25 a ton for weighed loads | Loads are measured by the cubic yard, not weighed |
| Orange County | Orange County waste only: $15 a carload under 360 lbs, $30 a pickup under 880 lbs | $92.70 a ton over 880 lbs; items longer than 6 feet $15 extra | Only Olinda Alpha (Brea) and Prima Deshecha (San Juan Capistrano) take the public |
| Santa Maria | City trash customers get a free pass each year, up to 1,000 lbs | $25 up to 300 lbs, $55 up to 1,050 lbs, $105 a ton over | Appliances $20 each; mattresses and electronics free |
| Redding | Pickup load $20 at the West Central Landfill, $33.50 at the Transfer Station | Weighed $55 a ton at the landfill, $121 at the Transfer Station | Tarp your load or pay double |
| Los Angeles County | City of LA residents: free unlimited bulky-item pickup and monthly free drop-off days | $83.13 a ton at Calabasas Landfill up to $123.12 at South Gate | Every load is charged at least a ton, so a carload at Puente Hills is $112.44 |
| San Diego | City of San Diego waste: $75 a car or pickup load; $102 a ton weighed | $86 a small load from outside the city; $108 a ton weighed | No cash; construction debris $241 a ton weighed |
Rates verified from each city's and county's own published fee schedules, September 2026. San Diego's and Orange County's run July 2026 to June 2027; Sacramento County's took effect January 1, 2026. The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts' took effect July 15, 2026. Tires, appliances, mattresses and construction debris are often billed separately from household trash. Confirm with the facility before a big load.
Find a landfill near you
Enter your city or ZIP for the nearest disposal sites across California, then open your city's page for its exact hours, fees and what it accepts.
Why some Californians dump free and others pay
California has no single system; cities and counties set their own rules. Kern County takes residential household trash free at its Bena Landfill and Roberts Lane Transfer Station near Bakersfield. Sacramento County charges everyone the same small flat fee by vehicle, county resident or not. Orange County charges a flat fee for small loads but takes only waste from Orange County, so bring a driver's license or a utility bill with an Orange County address. The City of San Diego charges by where the waste comes from: $75 for a small load from inside the city, $86 from outside. Fresno, Stanislaus and Tulare counties and the City of Redding charge small flat rates by the load, the Western Placer authority near Roseville charges by the cubic yard, and Santa Maria mails its trash customers a free landfill pass each year. The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts weigh every load but charge at least a ton, which makes a carload there the priciest small load we've found; the City of Los Angeles offsets it with free, unlimited bulky-item pickup.
When you pay: what the scales charge
- American Avenue Disposal Site (Fresno County): $29.52 a ton.
- Visalia Landfill (Tulare County): $36 a ton for a covered load of trash, $45 uncovered.
- Highway 59 Landfill (Merced County): $43.05 a ton, $19 minimum.
- Fink Road Landfill (Stanislaus County): $49.68 a ton.
- Badlands and El Sobrante landfills (Riverside County): $52.68 a ton, $43.20 minimum.
- West Central Landfill (Redding): $55 a ton for household waste, $65 for demolition debris.
- Kiefer Landfill (Sacramento County): $61.35 a ton, $45 minimum.
- Victorville Sanitary Landfill (San Bernardino County): $61.49 a ton over 300 pounds.
- Bena Landfill (Kern County): $69.35 a ton for commercial household trash; $95.66 a ton for construction debris; $107.61 a ton from outside Kern County.
- Calabasas Landfill (Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts): $83.13 a ton, one-ton minimum.
- Scholl Canyon Landfill (Glendale): $85.91 a ton, one-ton minimum.
- North Area Recovery Station (Sacramento County): $89.90 a ton, $50 minimum.
- Olinda Alpha and Prima Deshecha (Orange County): $92.70 a ton over 880 pounds, $107.70 with items longer than 6 feet.
- Miramar Landfill (San Diego): $102 a ton for City waste, $108 from outside the city, and $241 a ton for construction debris.
- Santa Maria Regional Landfill: $105 a ton over 1,050 pounds.
- WPWMA (Roseville area): $109.25 a ton for weighed loads.
- Puente Hills Materials Recovery Facility (Whittier): $112.44 a ton, one-ton minimum.
- Redding Transfer Station: $121 a ton under 2 tons, $123.75 over.
- South Gate Transfer Station (Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts): $123.12 a ton, one-ton minimum.
The cheapest and most expensive places to dump in California
Cheapest: a Kern County resident's household trash, which is free. Beyond that, Fresno County's American Avenue Disposal Site is the cheapest we've verified on both counts: $9.45 for a load up to 640 pounds and $29.52 a ton. Sacramento County's $10 carload is close behind.
Most expensive: by weight, the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts' South Gate Transfer Station at $123.12 a ton, and Redding's Transfer Station at $121 ($123.75 over 2 tons) — more than double the City of Redding's own West Central Landfill. For a small load, the Sanitation Districts' one-ton minimum means a carload costs $83.13 to $123.12; outside Los Angeles County, San Diego's Miramar Landfill is the priciest at $75, and it also charges the most for construction debris, $241 a ton.
The catches that cost people money
- No cash at Miramar. San Diego's landfill takes checks and cards only.
- Uncovered loads. Miramar adds $50, Sacramento County $25, Visalia $10 a small load and Fresno County $8; Kern, San Bernardino and Stanislaus counties and Redding double the fee.
- Proof of origin. Orange County's landfills turn away waste from outside the county.
- Sorting. Sacramento County charges extra at the scale if you won't separate yard waste and clean wood from trash.
- Fees going up. Sacramento County's flat fees rise $5 and its weighed rates 4.5% on Jan. 1, 2027.
What California landfills can't take
Batteries, electronics and bulbs. California bans all batteries from the trash, from AAs to car batteries, along with TVs, monitors, computers, phones, microwaves and other electronics, fluorescent lamps, paint, propane tanks and treated wood, according to CalRecycle. Car battery sellers must take your old one free, up to six a day, and charge a refundable deposit on a new battery if you don't bring one back within 45 days (Health and Safety Code § 25215.2).
Tires. Tires are banned from the trash, and whole tires can't be landfilled in California; only altered or shredded pieces can, according to CalRecycle.
Appliances. A landfill can't accept a major appliance for disposal if it's economically feasible to salvage the metal (Public Resources Code § 42170), and refrigerant and other hazardous parts have to be removed first (Health and Safety Code § 25212).
Mattresses. California's mattress recycling program means a retailer delivering a new mattress must offer to take your old one back at no extra charge, and participating sites take mattresses free.