Atlanta Takes Leaves Only in Paper Bags Up to 35 Pounds and Charges $343.10 for Every Bulk Pickup Past 12 a Year

Thirty-five pounds is the ceiling for a single bag of leaves in Atlanta, and the city will take no more than 20 of them at the curb in one collection. Past that, a pile of fall yard waste turns into a scheduled bulk pickup, and the city’s Office of Solid Waste Services lists a $343.10 fee for homeowners who go past 12 of those in a year.

Atlanta News First laid out the rules in an Oct. 14 report on what to know before raking this fall. The city’s own pages back up the core numbers, though one rate schedule carries a wrinkle that matters for anyone who expects to hit the limit.

Paper Bags, 35 Pounds and 20 Bags per Pickup

The city accepts yard trimmings in paper bags made for the purpose or in a container labeled “Yard Trimmings,” according to the City of Atlanta’s Office of Solid Waste Services. Plastic bags are not accepted. A full bag can weigh no more than 35 pounds, and the city collects up to 20 bags per collection.

Reusable containers are allowed up to 32 gallons and must be marked YARD TRIMMINGS on all four sides, the same city page says. Anything from 21 bags up has to be scheduled as a bulk collection.

The Atlanta News First report, by Anastassia Olmos and Lindsey Basye, adds a few more limits drawn from the city’s information. Branches must be no longer than 4 feet and no wider than 4 inches across. Leaves cannot be mixed with trash, and bags go out only on a home’s designated pickup day.

The same rules appeared in the station’s 2025 roundup of metro leaf rules, which also noted that cities can refuse to collect noncompliant leaves, leaving bags at the curb for weeks.

What Counts as Bulk and How the 12-a-Year Limit Works

Bulk yard waste means no more than 8 cubic yards in a collection, according to the city. Anything beyond that counts as an additional bulk collection. Residents book the pickup through ATL311 online or by calling 404-546-0311 at least one business day ahead.

The city’s bulk waste collection page says residents get up to 12 bulk appointments a year and that requests beyond that bring a fee under municipal code 130-84. As of Feb. 16, 2026, bulk collections are scheduled on the resident’s regular weekly collection day, the page says.

Yard waste has to be kept in a separate pile from other bulk items, and Atlanta News First reported that the pile should sit at least 6 feet from carts and other bulk items so crews are not delayed. Material goes to the curb after 7 p.m. the day before the scheduled pickup, and Atlanta News First reported that violations may bring a citation.

Where the $343.10 Figure Comes From

The Solid Waste Services page puts the rule in a single line: 12 collections per year, and “if 12 collections per year are exceeded, the resident is charged a fee of $343.10.” The page does not say whether the charge applies once or to every pickup past 12.

A solid waste rate schedule from the Atlanta City Council fills in that detail. It lists the bulky waste fee after 12 calls per year as a charge per address for one truck-capacity load, and shows $343.10 in the fiscal 2026 column.

The same schedule shows $325.00 for fiscal 2024, $336.38 for fiscal 2025 and $349.96 for fiscal 2027. The city’s current Solid Waste Services page still lists $343.10, and the schedule does not say whether the 2027 figure was adopted. Anyone planning to schedule a thirteenth pickup can confirm the amount with ATL311 first.

Axios Atlanta reported in August that Atlanta’s standard annual trash and recycling charge is proposed to rise from $559 to $619 in fiscal 2027 and $685 in fiscal 2028, and that residents currently get up to 12 bulk collections a year at no additional charge. In that report, city officials stressed the proposed rates had not been decided. The Axios Atlanta story does not propose a change to the bulk fee.

Rules That Can Bring a Citation

Two leaf habits get singled out in the Atlanta News First report. Raking leaves into the street or a storm drain violates city code and can bring fines, and burning leaves is illegal inside the city. The station’s 2025 report likewise said dumping leaves into streets or storm drains can lead to code enforcement tickets.

The city’s bulk page describes the enforcement ladder for bulk rules in general: a first violation brings a Notice of Violation, and continued noncompliance may lead to a citation with penalties of up to $1,000 per offense.

Homeowners who hire a landscaper are covered by a separate rule. The landscaper has to haul the leaves away, not the city, according to Atlanta News First. The station also reported that homeowners’ associations in some communities have fined residents who leave bags out too long, so bags belong at the curb only on the designated day.

How Atlanta Compares With Nearby Counties

Atlanta’s weight limit is lower than DeKalb County’s. Atlanta News First reported that DeKalb takes unlimited bags of up to 40 pounds each, with leaves at the curb by 7 a.m. on collection day. Cobb County asks for biodegradable paper bags or containers up to 32 gallons, and plastic bags are not collected there.

In Gwinnett County, residents have to subscribe to a private hauler for yard waste, and haulers may charge extra for bulk leaves. Clayton County requires yard waste to be kept separate from household trash and bulk requests to be scheduled in advance, according to the same report. The station’s closing note says each city and county has its own rules.

Other places handle fall leaves differently. Michigan keeps bagged leaves out of landfills, while Washington, D.C., runs a leaf vacuum season that started Nov. 2. In Atlanta, the practical limits for a raked yard are the paper bag, the 35-pound weight and the count of 12 bulk pickups.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: David Goehring – CC BY 2.0/Wikimedia Commons