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Commercial Waste Hauler Program

The commercial waste franchise program ensures quality service for commercial customers and encourages commercial waste collectors and their customers to properly dispose of recyclables and yard waste materials and to divert them away from area landfills.

If your company is providing commercial waste hauling services, which includes waste from commercial construction and demolition, in the City of Cincinnati, then your company is responsible to obtain a franchise from the City of Cincinnati in order to operate in the City of Cincinnati.  You are required to understand and follow Cincinnati Municipal Code Chapter 730 which outlines the program requirements.  Additionally, under CMC Section 730-27 the program has adopted Administrative Rules and Regulations that also must be followed.  It is a Class D Civil Offence under CMC Section 730-99 to provide commercial waste collection services in Cincinnati without a franchise from the City. 

Since January 2013, CMC Section 730-5 has made it unlawful for any person to provide services related to the collection and disposal of commercial waste within the City of Cincinnati without first obtaining a franchise and entering a franchise agreement with the City. 

The commercial waste hauler program was expanded on October 1, 2020 to include commercial construction and demolition debris.  It is unlawful to collect and dispose of commercial construction and demolition debris within the City of Cincinnati without first obtaining a franchise and entering a franchise agreement with the City.  This includes demolition contractors.

Is your commercial construction and demolition debris waste hauler a registered franchise holder?

Important Program Definitions

The commercial waste program has many specific definitions as specified in CMC Section 730-1 and the Administrative Rules and Regulations. Three of the most important are described in more depth below for added clarity among stakeholders.

  • “Commercial waste collection service” is defined as the activity of collecting, transporting, receiving, storing, disposing of or separating any type of commercial waste generated within the city.  This includes all attendant services, such as providing, selling, leasing, moving, cleaning, repairing, and maintaining containers of commercial establishments in the city.
  • “Commercial Waste” is defined as waste generated from a commercial establishment taken to a Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) or Construction and Demolition Debris (CDD) landfill.  It does not include infectious or hazardous waste, recyclable material taken to a Material Recovery Facility (MRF), or organics taken such as food or yard waste taken to a permitted compost facility. Commercial waste, including construction and demolition debris, can be generated during the renovation or demolition of existing structures and/or the construction of new structures.
  • “Commercial establishment” is defined as any building that does not constitute a dwelling, including but not limited to institutional buildings, residential structures with four or more units, all industrial structures, all businesses, and all structures containing both commercial and residential space. "Commercial establishment" does not include any building owned or operated by the City of Cincinnati and used for the purpose of conducting City of Cincinnati operations.

Program contacts

Please contact the following with questions or comments on the commercial waste program: