01The short answer
After a declared storm, your county or city picks up storm debris at the curb for free, sorted into separate piles, one pass at a time, until a final-pass deadline. In 2024, after Helene and Milton, that ran into December in Polk, Hillsborough and Tampa, and to February 2025 in Manatee. A dumpster is for when you cannot wait that long, the debris is mixed with repair work, or the trucks will not come down your road.
Storm rules are announced per storm, once one is declared. Everything below comes from the 2024 notices, checked 23 September 2026, so treat it as what to expect and confirm against your county's notice for the next one.
02Sort it the way the trucks want it
Curbside crews collect one kind of debris per pass, so a mixed pile gets left behind. FEMA and the Florida Division of Emergency Management use six categories: vegetative debris, construction debris, large appliances, electronics, household hazardous waste and ordinary household garbage. Each county simplifies that a little.
| Where | The piles they asked for in 2024 |
|---|---|
| Polk County | Five: vegetative, construction and demolition, appliances, electronics, household hazardous waste |
| Hillsborough County | Three: yard waste, furniture and construction materials, appliances |
| City of Lakeland | Three: construction, vegetation, appliances |
| Manatee County | Three: vegetative (no fencing), construction and demolition, white goods emptied out |
| City of Tampa | Separate piles, and storm debris does not go in your carts |
Construction debris in these lists means the storm-damaged parts of the house: drywall, carpet, flooring, fencing, furniture, mattresses, lumber, roofing and pool screen.
03Where the piles go
- Everywhere: at the curb, not in the road, and not blocking a storm drain.
- Tampa asks for 3 ft of clear space on every side of each pile.
- Manatee asks for 3 ft of space too, and for piles to stay off mailboxes, storm drains, backflow assemblies and water meters, and away from low power lines.
- Lakeland asks you to keep debris away from trees, poles, structures, fire hydrants and meters.
- Polk County asks you to keep it away from trees and mailboxes and out from under power lines.
The claw trucks need room to reach the pile without hitting anything, which is what all of these are about.
04What the curb will not take
- Bags, in some places. Hillsborough crews would not take bagged debris, or anything left on the lawn. Polk County wanted leaves, moss and small twigs bagged. Manatee said do not bag. Check your own notice.
- Long logs and big stumps in Tampa. Tree debris had to be cut to 4 ft or shorter, and stumps over 100 lb were not accepted.
- Hazardous waste and electronics were not collected at the curb in Tampa or Manatee. Polk collected them as their own piles.
- Mixed piles. In Polk, vegetative debris mixed with fencing, construction debris or household items waited for the final pass.
05How long pickup takes
| Where | 2024 storm pickup |
|---|---|
| Polk County | Target finish 24 November 2024, then residents were asked to have debris at the curb by 1 December |
| Hillsborough County | Final pass began 9 December 2024. After that, construction debris went to the county's Community Collection Centers |
| City of Tampa | Cleanup ended 20 December 2024 |
| Manatee County | The 2024–25 program ended 7 February 2025. Cities inside Manatee ran their own pickup |
That is six weeks to four months of a pile in the front yard, and the final pass is the last one. Debris that goes out after it is yours to haul away.
06Private roads, gated communities and HOAs
Public crews do not drive onto private property without permission. After Milton, Polk County needed a signed Right of Entry form from HOAs in gated communities and on private roads before it could collect there, and described the form as a FEMA requirement. If you live behind a gate, ask the HOA whether the form is in.
07When a dumpster makes more sense
- You need the yard back now. A can goes in the driveway and the debris goes in as fast as you can load it, instead of sitting at the curb for weeks.
- The repair work outlasts the pickup program. Drywall, flooring and cabinets that come out after the final pass are not the county's to collect.
- You are paying someone anyway. Polk County says plainly that it does not reimburse residents or HOAs who hire a private contractor to remove storm debris.
- The trucks cannot get to you, because of a private road with no form on file, or a lot the claw truck cannot reach.
For storm debris the 20 yard at $550 is usually the right can, delivered, with two tons included. Weight decides it, not space: on the size guide's figures, yard waste and brush reach the two tons at about 7 cubic yards, and drywall at about 6, and wet material is heavier. Anything over is $95 per ton off the scale ticket.
For comparison, when the City of Tampa opened McKay Bay to storm debris in 2024, residents dropped off free and privately hired companies were charged $95 per ton.
Two things keep the price where it should be. Keep branches and building material apart where you can, because mixed loads are charged more at the landfill. And tell us first about fridges and freezers that spoiled in the outage, and about tires. Paint, fuel, batteries and propane do not go in the can at all.
If you would rather not load it yourself, junk removal is the same crew doing the lifting.
08Questions people ask
Will the county pick up storm debris for free?
After a declared storm, yes: Polk, Hillsborough, Manatee, Tampa and Lakeland all ran free curbside pickup in 2024, in separate piles, until a final-pass deadline.
Should I bag storm debris?
It depends where you live. Hillsborough crews would not take bagged debris and Manatee said not to bag, but Polk County wanted leaves, moss and small twigs bagged. Follow your county's notice for that storm.
How long does hurricane debris pickup take?
After Helene and Milton in 2024 it ran into December in Polk, Hillsborough and Tampa, and to 7 February 2025 in Manatee.
Can storm debris go in a dumpster?
Most of it: branches, yard waste, drywall, carpet, flooring, fencing and furniture. Not paint, fuel, batteries or propane, and tell us first about fridges, freezers and tires.
What size dumpster do I need for storm debris?
Usually the 20 yard at $550 with two tons included. Wet debris is heavy, so the weight runs out before the space does.
Will the county pay me back if I hire a private company?
Polk County says it does not reimburse residents or HOAs who hire a private contractor to remove storm debris.
More reading: what a dumpster costs, roofing dumpsters, junk removal and all our guides.