Site Cleanliness License
The Site Cleanliness Ordinance requires property and business owners to manage their trash responsibly. Under this rule, you must prevent:
- Overflowing dumpsters: Keep trash contained and lids completely closed.
- Wind-blown litter: Secure lightweight trash so it doesn’t blow away.
- Rodents and pests: Maintain clean trash areas so waste doesn’t attract pests.
Bulk refuse containers must be leak-proof, free of structural holes or cracks, fitted with secure and tight drain plugs to prevent fluid leaks, and kept tightly closed with lids to control pests and litter.
You must renew this license annually.
Who Can Apply
You need this license if you use a dumpster on a residential or commercial property in Boston. Businesses that need a Site Cleanliness License include:
- Food and beverage establishments: Restaurants, bars, cafés, or any setup that sells food or drinks.
- Automotive establishments: Auto body shops, car washes, gas stations, or repair shops.
- Bulk trash storage lots: Sites used to store dumpsters, compactors, or bulk containers.
- Properties with dumpsters: Any commercial or residential property using a dumpster or bulk refuse container.
- Donation collection bins: Clothing donation boxes or similar bins located on your property.
Contractors and developers do not need a Site Cleanliness License for construction dumpsters.
Required Documents
To apply, gather:
- A completed Site Cleanliness Application. The application will ask for:
- Business name
- Business owner’s name
- Type of property or lot
- Address of your lot
- Location of the receptacle
- Your waste hauler’s name, address, and phone number, and how often they service your site
- The person responsible for cleaning
- A copy of your current solid waste disposal contract. If that contract is more than a year old, include a recent invoice showing your service is still active.
- If your dumpster sits on a public way, like a sidewalk or street, you also need a Street Occupancy Permit from Public Works.
Donation Collection Bin applicants must provide:
- Your lot address
- Your contact information
- Written permission from the lot’s owner
- A schedule showing you'll check and empty each bin at least once every 30 days.
You must have a license for every bin you operate. If your bin is placed in the lot of another establishment, the hosting establishment must have its own Site Cleanliness License.
Fees
The Site Cleanliness License costs $50.
How to Pay
- Online. We’ll send a one-time payment link to your email address. You can pay by credit or debit card.
- In person. Pay by credit card, debit card, check, money order, or cash in person at ISD. Cash and credit card payments in person are due by 3:30 p.m. Checks must be made out to the City of Boston.
- By mail. Mail your check or money order to us.
How to Apply
You can apply by email, in person, or by mail. All options need the same application form and required documents.
- Email: Email your application and required documents to us at isdenvironmental@boston.gov. We’ll send you a one-time link to use to pay your fees online.
- In person: Bring your application, required documents, and a way to pay, to ISD Environmental Services, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can pay your fees in person at ISD. If you’re paying by cash or credit card, you’ll have to pay by 3:30 p.m.
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Mail: Mail your application to us, along with all required documents and payment for fees:
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, 4th Floor
Boston, MA 02118
After Approval
Normally we approve licenses within a week, sometimes faster. You’re not required to have an inspection to receive your license.
- Post your license. Once you have your license, post it somewhere visible on your property. If you operate a donation bin, post your name, address, and phone number directly on the bin instead.
- Maintain your site. You’re responsible for maintaining your site the way your Site Cleanliness Plan describes.
Inspection
After we issue your license, we’ll add your site to our inspector’s queue. Inspections may take place outside of operational hours, as early as 4am. You don’t need to be present for the inspection unless you need to provide us access to the site.
To keep Boston neighborhoods clean, we conduct yearly site visits. We may also visit your site if someone calls 311 with a complaint.
All bulk refuse containers (dumpsters, donation bins, and similar containers) must follow the Massachusetts State Sanitary Code and the City of Boston Site Cleanliness Ordinance.
We may issue fines for violations of these requirements. Fines for Site Cleanliness Ordinance violations can range from smaller amounts up to $1,000 per day.
If your dumpster or bulk refuse container has problems at the time of inspection, or is attracting pests or rodents, Inspectional Services (ISD) may also enforce the State Sanitary Code.
If we find a violation, we'll give you a specific amount of time to fix it. If you don't fix it in time, the Code Enforcement team may issue fines. If a violation still isn't fixed after that, we may escalate to an administrative hearing, and if needed, to Housing Court to bring the property into compliance.
Our goal with enforcement is to get violations fixed and keep properties safe and sanitary, not to collect fines.
Renewals
You must renew this license every year.
Renewal notices start to go out in October. Licenses are valid until December 31. Pay the renewal fee to renew your license.
- Renewal fee: $50
- Donation bin operators renewal fee: $50
