Right-of-way rules / checked August 2026
Dumpster permit rules for Colorado Springs streets.
On your own property, no city permit applies. In a street the city controls, a dumpster is a revocable-permit item — by name. Here is the process, the placement rules, and how every neighboring jurisdiction differs.
01 / THE CITY PROCESS
The city calls it a revocable permit.
Colorado Springs' permit page lists "trash and construction dumpsters" as a named example of private use of public right-of-way.
Who issues it and under what authority
The Land Use Review Division of Planning + Neighborhood Services administers revocable permits for the City of Colorado Springs. A short-term placement — a rental container for a cleanout or a re-roof — uses the Temporary Surface Revocable Permit, applied for through the Planning Department's online submittal system. The application cites City Code Section 7.5.403 of the Unified Development Code as the governing review authority. The city publishes its contacts on the permit page: 719-385-5905 and planningdev@coloradosprings.gov. Fees and processing times are not published there — confirm both with Land Use Review before you lock a delivery date.
Revocable means exactly that
The city states it may revoke the permit at any time, for any reason. That single sentence should shape the whole plan: keep a fallback spot on private ground, keep the container loadable and movable, and never schedule a job so tightly that losing the street spot stops the work.
The four placement tests
The city's criteria for anything sitting in right-of-way: it must not interrupt the flow of vehicle or pedestrian traffic; it must not interfere with the public's normal use of the property; it must not interfere with any lawfully existing structure; and it may occupy no more than one-fifth of the width of any paved sidewalk. Add the transit rule from the application requirements — nothing within 20 feet in either direction of a posted bus stop, bus bench, or bus pad — and most blocks have only a few legal container positions. Find yours before you apply, not after.
The site plan carries the application
The Temporary Surface Revocable Permit application asks for a drawing, not just an address: the location, type, dimensions, and size of the proposed use; the names and widths of adjacent street and alley rights-of-way; curb, sidewalk, and bus stop locations; and setbacks. Draw it from the actual street. A plan built on real measurements passes review, matches what the driver finds on delivery day, and tells us whether the box you ordered actually fits the spot with its rear door usable. Keep the drawing on hand while the container is down and hold the job inside that footprint.
02 / NEIGHBORING JURISDICTIONS
Twelve communities, not one rulebook.
The right-of-way process changes at every boundary line in our delivery area.
City of Colorado Springs
Revocable Permit / Temporary Surface Revocable Permit through the Land Use Review Division; online submittal; site plan required; governed by City Code 7.5.403; revocable at any time.
Unincorporated El Paso County
Covers the Security-Widefield, Cimarron Hills, Black Forest, Falcon, and Peyton areas. The county's Department of Public Works issues Work in the Right-of-Way permits through an online portal (epc-rowpermit.com). Applicants must show financial resources sufficient to restore and repair the affected right-of-way; technical requirements sit in Chapter 5 of the county's Engineering Criteria Manual.
Town of Monument
Issues its own right-of-way permit under Municipal Code 12.36.010 through the town's Planning Department (719-481-2954, planning@tomgov.org); fees are set in the town's fee schedule.
Manitou Springs, Fountain, Palmer Lake, Woodland Park
Each sets its own right-of-way rules through its own public works or planning department. Confirm the local requirement with that office before delivery — no rule above transfers across a boundary line.
Checked against city, county, and town sources, August 2026.
Private or public: decide before you book
Walk the property once with a tape measure. If the container and the truck's straight approach both fit on private ground, the entire permit question disappears — that is the outcome to engineer for, even if it means a shorter box. A 15-yard container on the driveway beats a 30 in the street behind a permit that can vanish. If the street is genuinely the only option, start the jurisdiction's process before you set a delivery date, then call us with the address, the placement, and any approved conditions. We fold those conditions into the drop plan: box dimensions that match the drawing, rear door aimed at the loading path, and a pickup approach that stays legal for the whole window.
What we need from you on permit jobs
Three things: the complete service address, whether the spot is private or public, and a copy of any conditions the jurisdiction attached. We will not guess which office controls a given street, and we will not assume one town's approval means anything across the line — Security-Widefield and Cimarron Hills addresses route to the county, Monument routes to the town, and Colorado Springs routes to Land Use Review. Sorting that on the first call is faster than moving a loaded container later. Call (719) 873-6848 and settle it in five minutes.
Street placement on the horizon? Get the jurisdiction right before anything else.
Sort it at (719) 873-6848 →03 / FAQ
Permit questions, answered.
The short version of the rules above, in the order people ask.
Does a driveway placement need the city permit?
No. The revocable-permit process exists for private use of public right-of-way. A container that sits entirely on your own property — driveway, yard, private lot — never enters it. The permit question only opens when the box touches a street, alley, sidewalk, or other public space.
Who do I contact about the Colorado Springs permit?
The Land Use Review Division of Planning + Neighborhood Services administers revocable permits. The city publishes 719-385-5905 and planningdev@coloradosprings.gov as the contacts, and applications go through the Planning Department’s online submittal system.
How close to a bus stop can the container sit?
The city’s application requirements bar placement within 20 feet in either direction of a posted bus stop, bus bench, or bus pad. Check the block for transit fixtures before you draw the site plan — a spot that clears parked cars can still fail on the bus rule.
My address is in Security-Widefield or Falcon. Same permit?
No — those areas are unincorporated El Paso County, where the county’s Department of Public Works issues Work in the Right-of-Way permits through its own online portal. The Colorado Springs revocable permit only applies where that city controls the right-of-way.
Can the city take the permit back mid-project?
Yes. The city states it may revoke a revocable permit at any time, for any reason. Plan the job so the container can move onto private ground or leave early without stopping work, and never treat an approved street spot as guaranteed for the full rental window.