Where to get rid of old tires in Texas
Tires are the single most inconsistent item in Texas waste rules. The landfill twenty minutes one way will take five a month for free; the one in the other direction won't touch them at all. Several East Texas sites take them only if they're cut in half first. Getting this wrong means loading a truck, driving out, and being turned away at the scale house — so here's the actual rule at every city we cover.
Tire rules at every Texas city we cover
| City | Takes tires? | The rule |
|---|---|---|
| Houston | Yes | Up to 5 automobile tires per month, per household. Free with proof of residency at any Neighborhood Depository. |
| Dallas | Yes | Residents only: up to 6 per year, none larger than 25 inches in diameter. Free for residents at McCommas Bluff. |
| Laredo | Yes | Up to 4 passenger tires per day. Requires ID plus a City of Laredo utility bill matching the address. |
| Arlington | Yes | Accepted at the Arlington Landfill — and it's one of your 3 free resident drop-offs per year. |
| Austin | Yes — fee | Accepted at the Recycle & Reuse Center, but tires carry a fee even for residents. Appointment required. |
| Kilgore | Partial | Whole tires refused. Accepted only if split, quartered, or shredded. |
| Longview | Partial | Whole tires refused — must be split, quartered, or shredded first. |
| Tyler | Call first | Not accepted in a normal load; requires special handling. Call Greenwood Farms at (903) 566-5024. |
| Henderson | Call first | Whole tires not accepted — call the East Texas Regional Landfill for handling. |
| Lufkin | Call first | Whole tires not accepted — call the Angelina County Landfill for handling. |
| Denton | No | Tires are absolutely prohibited at the City of Denton Landfill. Don't bring them. |
| San Angelo | Unclear | Not published. Call (325) 481-7701 before you haul. |
Rules verified from official city sources, July 2026. Limits and fees change — call the facility before hauling a big load.
Find a landfill near you
Enter your ZIP for the nearest disposal sites. Confirm their tire rule by phone before you load up — it varies more than any other item.
Why tires are treated differently from everything else
Whole tires are a genuine problem for a landfill. They trap air, refuse to stay buried, and work their way back to the surface over time — which is why so many Texas sites either refuse them or insist they're cut up first. Cut a tire in half and it stops floating, which is exactly why Kilgore and Longview will take a split tire but not a round one.
That's also why tires almost never fall under a normal per-ton gate rate. Cities handle them as a separate line item with a hard count limit — five a month, six a year, four a day — rather than by weight.
The cheapest way to get rid of tires
Start with the shop. If you're replacing tires, the tire shop will take the old ones for a small disposal fee — usually a few dollars each, rolled into the job. That's almost always cheaper and easier than a trip to the landfill, and it's the option most people forget.
If you already have a pile in the garage, check your city's limit above and spread the load across the allowed window. Houston's five-a-month means a stack of fifteen is three trips, not one rejection.
- Tire shops take old tires for a small per-tire fee when they sell you new ones.
- County cleanup events often take tires free — watch for them, they're usually seasonal.
- Never dump tires illegally. Texas treats tire dumping seriously, and abandoned tires breed mosquitoes and catch fire.
- If your city requires split tires, a reciprocating saw works, but it's miserable work — price a junk-removal quote before you commit an afternoon to it.