What it costs to dump in Texas: 2026 landfill fees by city
How much it costs to dump a load of junk in Texas depends almost entirely on which side of a city line you're standing on. We pulled the actual gate rates from official city fee schedules and put them side by side — and the spread is enormous. Most cities let their own residents dump household trash free; a few charge nothing to anyone; and one, Kerrville, charges $99.93 a ton. This is the comparison nobody else publishes, because the numbers are buried in municipal rate ordinances that don't even show up in search. Here they are in one place.
2026 cost to dump, city by city
| City | Residents pay | Standard gate rate | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerrville | 2 free trips/yr | $99.93/ton | $28.57 minimum under 360 lbs; $30 untarped-load fee |
| Waco | Set free amount | $52/ton (in county), $75/ton outside | Call to confirm the resident free allowance |
| Irving | Free under 150 lbs | $52/ton ($13 per ¼ ton) | Resident free tier is small — 150 lbs goes fast |
| Laredo | 1 ton free Saturdays | $51.50/ton ($2 first ton other days) | $221.50/ton if you're from outside Webb County |
| Denton | $45.50/ton | $49.50/ton non-resident | $26.50 minimum; shingles $125/ton; concrete $23.50/ton; cards only |
| Lewisville | 1 ton free/month | $45/ton | 2 free dumps/month with Republic curbside service |
| Dallas | Free | $43.60/ton commercial | +$2 environmental +$2 processing per ton; $40 uncovered load |
| Grand Prairie | 5 loads free/yr | $40/ton commercial | $10/load after the 5 free; $10 commercial minimum |
| Lubbock | $33.94/ton | $33.94/ton | Alternate West Texas site is $40.94/ton |
| Lufkin | $33.58/ton (city) | $6.60/cubic yard (county) | $6 per appliance; $5 untarped-load fee |
| Wichita Falls | Free (primary residence) | $57.53/ton (non-primary) | C&D $32.23/ton; yard waste $20.71/ton |
| Amarillo | Free (household) | ~$41/ton (C&D) | Construction debris charged by weight even for residents |
| Cleburne | Free (standard load) | $46.62/ton (large resident loads) | Non-residents $20/pickup or $70.83/ton for trucks |
| Brownsville | — | $30/ton | One of the lowest flat per-ton rates in the state |
| Temple | 1 load free/month | $16 minimum (resident) | Non-residents $54.43 min + state fee; +$20 untarped |
| Harlingen | $12/load (≤500 lbs) | $93.50/load non-resident | Both capped at 500 lbs — a modest pickup load |
| Houston | Free (4 visits/month) | Free for residents | Neighborhood Depositories; 4-cubic-yard limit per visit |
| Fort Worth | Free | Free for residents | Water bill with sanitation charges + matching ID |
| San Antonio | Free | Free for residents | CPS Energy bill + photo ID; 4-cubic-yard limit |
| Austin | Free | Free for residents | Recycle & Reuse Center; up to 30 gal HHW free; appointment |
| Garland | Free | Free for residents | Also free for Sachse residents, self-haul with proof |
| San Angelo | 1 free drop/month | Call for rate | County residents also get 1 free/month (electric bill) |
| Midland | 3 cubic yards free/month | Call for rate | Once per month per address, proof of residency |
| Nacogdoches | 1 load/month + free brush | Per truckload after | City residents: unlimited brush & debris free |
| McKinney | 2 visits free/month | Call for rate | Dump trailers & box trucks always pay |
| Plano | 2 drops free/month | $20/cubic yard | $60 minimum on paid visits |
| Longview | Free | Free for residents | Bulky curbside pickup 4×/yr; $20 mattress/appliance fee |
| Beaumont | Free (self-haul) | Call for commercial | Must pay for city garbage service + self-haul own debris |
| Stephenville | Free (residents) | Type IV — no household trash | For brush & construction debris only |
| Tyler | $15 brush access fee | Call for per-ton rate | Mattresses ~$63 each |
| Corpus Christi | Call for rate | Call for rate | $15 untarped-load fee; free mulch |
| El Paso | Free (CCS drop-off) | From ~$16/load under a ton | Five Citizen Collection Stations for residents |
Rates verified from official city fee schedules and rate ordinances, July 2026. Rates typically reset each October; heavy/construction debris and specialty items (shingles, tires, mattresses) are often billed separately. Always confirm with the facility before a big load.
Find a landfill near you
Enter your ZIP for the nearest disposal sites, then open your city's page for its exact hours, fees and what it accepts.
The cheapest and most expensive places to dump in Texas
For residents dumping their own household trash, the good news is that 'free' is the most common answer in the state. Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, Garland, Longview, Stephenville and Wichita Falls all let residents through at no charge with proof of address — the city already collects a sanitation fee on your utility bill, and the landfill is where that fee goes.
Where it gets expensive is everyone else. Kerrville tops the state at $99.93 a ton, and it stings twice because there's a $28.57 minimum even for a tiny load — though residents can claim two free trips a year if they know to ask at City Hall. At the other end, Brownsville's flat $30 a ton is one of the lowest in Texas. The lesson: your ZIP code is worth real money at the scale house.
The resident vs. non-resident gap is the biggest variable
Nothing swings the price like whether you can prove you live there. Harlingen is the starkest example: a resident pays a flat $12 for a load up to 500 lbs — a non-resident pays $93.50 for the exact same load. Laredo residents dump a free ton on Saturdays and pay $51.50 otherwise, but haul in from outside Webb County and it's $221.50 a ton, a rate that exists mostly to say 'don't.'
This is why proof of residency — a driver's license and a matching utility bill — is the single most valuable thing to bring to any Texas landfill. Forget it and you're often billed the commercial rate on the spot, no exceptions.
The hidden fees that catch people out
The per-ton rate is rarely the whole story. Three surcharges show up again and again and turn a cheap trip expensive:
First, the minimum charge — even a couple of bags can cost you $26.50 in Denton or $28.57 in Kerrville, because there's a floor no matter how little you bring. Second, the untarped-load fee: Dallas adds $40, Kerrville $30, Corpus Christi and Temple $15–20, if your load isn't covered. Tie a tarp down before you leave home; it's the easiest money you'll ever save. Third, specialty materials get their own line — Denton charges $125 a ton for shingles versus $66.50 for general debris, and appliances, tires and mattresses are almost always priced separately from the gate rate.
- Minimum charge: often $16–$60 regardless of load size.
- Untarped/uncovered load: $15–$40 extra at many cities.
- Construction debris & shingles: billed higher, and by weight.
- Appliances, tires, mattresses: separate per-item fees almost everywhere.