There is no county-wide permit for a dumpster in New Jersey or New York. The rule is set by your town, and the towns disagree with each other. Most of them draw the line at the curb: on your own driveway you can put a container down without asking anyone, and in the street you need a permit or it is not allowed at all.
We deliver into these towns every week, so the table below is not copied from another dumpster company's blog. Where we could read the ordinance or the permit form ourselves, the row says so plainly. Where the only source is a local guide, the row says that too. Where we found nothing, we tell you to call, because we will check with the town before your delivery is scheduled either way.
The three kinds of town
Driveway only. The town does not allow containers in the public street at all, so every delivery goes on private property. Westwood and Paramus are in this group. So are Englewood Cliffs, Haworth and River Vale, but those three also want a form for a container on the driveway itself, which puts them in the third kind as well. If you have no driveway, call us before you plan around a street spot.
Street with a permit. The town will let a container sit at the curb if you get a permit first, usually from the building department, the clerk or the police traffic bureau, for a fee and a set number of days. Hackensack, Teaneck, Englewood and Fair Lawn work this way, and so do Clarkstown and Orangetown in Rockland. Some attach conditions: Hillsdale caps a street container at ten days and asks for insurance, and Emerson does not allow street dumpsters at all between November 1 and April 1. Cresskill, Emerson and Ridgewood allow the street with a permit too, but they ask for the permit on a driveway as well.
Permit even on private property. About twenty of the towns we serve want a form and usually a small fee for any temporary container, including one on your own driveway. Emerson, Oradell, Cresskill, Glen Rock and Englewood Cliffs are confirmed on the town's own forms; Old Tappan and Upper Saddle River say the same in local guides, with fees in the $25 to $50 range. Every town page states which kind it is, and the table below marks them. We handle these every week; tell us the address and we will tell you what to file.
Rockland County works by town, not hamlet
If your mailing address says Nanuet, New City, Congers, Bardonia, Valley Cottage or West Nyack, the code that applies is the Town of Clarkstown's, and a street placement permit comes from the town Highway Department in Nanuet. Pearl River, Tappan, Blauvelt, Orangeburg, Palisades and Sparkill fall under the Town of Orangetown. Villages like Nyack, Suffern, Spring Valley and Piermont have their own rules: Nyack issues a dumpster permit through its DPW with a deposit and a day limit, and Suffern does not allow street placement.
One more Rockland rule that never comes up in Bergen: the hauler needs a Rockland County permit from the Department of Health to operate at all. Ours are listed on our licensing page.
Every town we serve
Sorted by county, then by name. "Per local guides" means we could not read the ordinance ourselves and are relying on published local guidance plus our own delivery experience. Click a town for its full page.
Bergen County, NJ
| Town | Street placement | Permit and fee | Who to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bergenfield | Not confirmed. Call us. | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Police Department source |
| Bogota | Allowed with a permit | No permit on your own driveway. Street permit $10 per day. | Building Inspector source |
| Closter | Not confirmed. Call us. | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Call us first source |
| Cresskill | Allowed with a permit | Permit needed even on your own driveway. Permit fee $25. | Building Department source |
| Demarest | Not confirmed. Call us. | Permit needed even on your own driveway. | Building Department source |
| Dumont | Not confirmed. Call us. | Permit needed even on your own driveway. Permit fee $25 short-term dumpster permit. | Call us first source |
| Elmwood Park | Not confirmed. Call us. | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. Permit fee $50. | Police Department Records source |
| Emerson | Allowed with a permit | Permit needed even on your own driveway. Permit fee $100. | Building Department source |
| Englewood | Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. Street permit $20 per week, plus $10/day per parking meter if applicable. | City Clerk's Office source |
| Englewood Cliffs | Not allowed. Driveway only. | Permit needed even on your own driveway. Permit fee $100. | Building Department source |
| Fair Lawn | Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Department of Public Works source |
| Fort Lee | Not confirmed. Call us. | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Call us first source |
| Franklin Lakes | Driveway only (per local guides) | Permit needed even on your own driveway. Permit fee $150 for the initial permit. | Zoning Officer source |
| Garfield | Allowed with a permit | No permit on your own driveway. Street permit $50, nonrefundable. | Department of Public Works source |
| Glen Rock | Allowed with a permit | Permit needed even on your own driveway. Permit fee $25. | Department of Public Works ) source |
| Hackensack | Allowed with a permit | No permit on your own driveway. Street permit $50 nonrefundable filing fee for residential properties. | Police Department source |
| Harrington Park | Not confirmed. Call us. | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Call us first source |
| Haworth | Not allowed. Driveway only. | Permit needed even on your own driveway. Permit fee $75 application review fee. | Building Department source |
| Hillsdale | Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Borough Clerk source |
| Ho-Ho-Kus | Not confirmed. Call us. | Permit needed even on your own driveway. | Zoning Officer source |
| Leonia | Not confirmed. Call us. | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Call us first source |
| Lodi | Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Department of Building and Inspections source |
| Mahwah | Allowed with a permit | Permit needed even on your own driveway. Permit fee $100 special permit if the dumpster is placed on a public roadway. | Township Construction Official source |
| Maywood | Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. Street permit $250 deposit. | Borough Clerk source |
| Montvale | Not confirmed. Call us. | Permit needed even on your own driveway. | Building and Construction Office source |
| New Milford | Not confirmed. Call us. | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Call us first source |
| Northvale | Driveway only (per local guides) | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Call us first source |
| Norwood | Not confirmed. Call us. | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Call us first source |
| Old Tappan | Driveway only (per local guides) | Permit needed even on your own driveway. Permit fee $25 on issuance of storage container/dumpster permit. | Zoning Officer source |
| Oradell | Allowed with a permit | Permit needed even on your own driveway. Permit fee $100 per dumpster on any public street. | Construction Code Official source |
| Paramus | Driveway only (per local guides) | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Call us first source |
| Park Ridge | Driveway only (per local guides) | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Call us first source |
| Ramsey | Not confirmed. Call us. | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Call us first source |
| Ridgewood | Allowed with a permit | Permit needed even on your own driveway. | Call us first source |
| River Edge | Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. Street permit $50 dumpster permit fee for a dumpster not on the owner's property. | Building Department source |
| River Vale | Not allowed. Driveway only. | Permit needed even on your own driveway. Permit fee $25. | Construction Code Official source |
| Rochelle Park | Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Rochelle Park Police Department source |
| Saddle Brook | Driveway only (per local guides) | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Call us first source |
| Saddle River | Driveway only (per local guides) | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Call us first source |
| Teaneck | Not confirmed. Call us. | Permit needed even on your own driveway. Permit fee $30 permit fee. | Construction Official source |
| Tenafly | Not confirmed. Call us. | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Call us first source |
| Township of Washington | With a permit (per local guides) | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. Street permit $25 for 5 days. | Call us first source |
| Upper Saddle River | Driveway only (per local guides) | Permit needed even on your own driveway. Permit fee $50. | Building Department source |
| Waldwick | Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Call us first source |
| Westwood | Driveway only (per local guides) | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Call us first source |
| Woodcliff Lake | Driveway only (per local guides) | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Call us first source |
| Wyckoff | Driveway only (per local guides) | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Call us first source |
Rockland County, NY
| Town | Street placement | Permit and fee | Who to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bardonia Town of Clarkstown rules |
Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Superintendent of Highways source |
| Blauvelt Town of Orangetown rules |
Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Superintendent of Highways source |
| Congers Town of Clarkstown rules |
Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Superintendent of Highways source |
| Nanuet Town of Clarkstown rules |
Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Superintendent of Highways source |
| New City Town of Clarkstown rules |
Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Superintendent of Highways source |
| Nyack | Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Village of Nyack Department of Public Works source |
| Orangeburg Town of Orangetown rules |
Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Superintendent of Highways source |
| Palisades Town of Orangetown rules |
Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Superintendent of Highways source |
| Pearl River Town of Orangetown rules |
Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Superintendent of Highways source |
| Sparkill Town of Orangetown rules |
Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Superintendent of Highways source |
| Spring Valley | Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Village Clerk source |
| Suffern | Not allowed. Driveway only. | Permit needed even on your own driveway. | Building Inspector source |
| Tappan Town of Orangetown rules |
Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Superintendent of Highways source |
| Valley Cottage Town of Clarkstown rules |
Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Superintendent of Highways source |
| West Nyack Town of Clarkstown rules |
Allowed with a permit | Driveway rule not published; we confirm. | Superintendent of Highways source |
Rules change, fees change, and offices move. We confirm the current requirement with the town before every delivery, so if a row above is out of date the person answering our phone will know before you do.
How we handle it on a real job
Tell us the address when you call. If the container fits on the driveway, there is nothing to file in most towns and we schedule the drop. If it has to go in the street, we tell you what the town requires, what it costs and who to call, and we schedule delivery for after the permit is in hand. Delivering into a street without one is how a container gets ticketed or towed, and that is your money, so we do not do it.
Questions
Do I need a permit for a dumpster on my own driveway?
In most Bergen and Rockland towns, no. A few towns, including Old Tappan, Oradell, River Vale and Upper Saddle River, require a temporary container permit even on private property. Check your town in the table or call us with the address.
How much is a street dumpster permit?
On the forms we read, between $20 a week and $100 for the permit period, with most towns in the $25 to $50 range. Some towns add a deposit or insurance requirement for street placement.
Who issues the permit?
It depends on the town: the building or construction department in most, the borough clerk in some, and the police traffic bureau in a few. The table names the office we found for each town.
Can you get the permit for me?
Permits are issued to the property owner or applicant, so the application is yours to sign, but we tell you exactly what to file and where, and we do not deliver until it is in hand.
What happens if a container is put in the street without a permit?
The town can ticket it, order it removed, or in some towns tow it at the owner's expense. That is why we confirm the rule before every delivery.
Sources: Borough of Westwood code, refuse containers and dumpsters · Borough of Paramus code, refuse containers and dumpsters · Rockland County, waste hauler permits · Town of Clarkstown · Town of Orangetown