Short answer: St. Petersburg does not run routine curbside brush or bulk pickup. What it runs is an on-call special pickup (727-893-7398 or SeeClickFix) that collects up to 3 cubic yards of furniture, carpet and appliances free, plus small counts of tires, batteries, doors, windows and cabinets. Past those caps the city charges $25.65 per cubic yard, and that includes brush, building materials and accumulated waste. If your pile fits inside the free allowance, use it. If it does not, that is when a dumpster or a junk removal crew earns its money.
The single most common misunderstanding we hear in St. Petersburg is that you can stack it at the curb and the city will come get it. You cannot, and they will not. Knowing the actual rules tells you whether you need us at all.
Does St. Petersburg pick up brush and yard waste at the curb?
Not on the regular route. Garden trash has to go inside the city-issued 90-gallon cart with the lid closed. Limbs thicker than three inches or longer than four feet are not accepted in that cart at all. Anything set beside the cart does not get collected.
City code goes further than most people realize: it is unlawful to place garden trash anywhere on the property or in the right-of-way. When the city clears an illegal pile, it bills the owner or occupant for it.
What will the city collect for free, and where does it stop?
St. Petersburg runs an on-call special pickup. Request it through SeeClickFix or call Sanitation at (727) 893-7398. A photo speeds it up. Put the items where your trash is normally collected — the alley if you are collected there, the curb if you are not. These are collected free, with hard caps:
| Item | Free limit |
|---|---|
| Furniture, carpet and appliances | 3 cubic yards |
| Car tires | 5 |
| Car batteries | 5 |
| Doors | 2 |
| Windows | 2 |
| Kitchen cabinets | 2 |
| Empty 20 lb propane tanks | 2 |
Everything past those caps the city charges for at $25.65 per cubic yard, and that explicitly includes accumulated waste, building materials and brush. Confirm the fee with Sanitation before the pickup.
Where are the free brush drop-off sites?
The city runs five brush and recycling drop-off sites, open 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. seven days a week — 1000 62nd Ave NE, 7750 26th Ave N, 2500 26th Ave S, 4015 Dr. MLK St. S, and 2453 20th Ave N. Bring proof of residency. Read the restrictions before you load a trailer: construction-site loads are not permitted, a service working for hire cannot drop unless the resident comes along or signs a city affidavit, and loads from more than one address are prohibited. They also will not take concrete, brick, dirt, roofing material, building materials, furniture, mattresses, electronics, or logs over five feet, thirty-four inches across, or 300 pounds.
Which is the honest reason a renovation, a serious yard overhaul or a whole-house cleanout in this city ends up needing a container. Not because we say so. Because the city’s own rules say so.
City pickup, junk removal or a dumpster: the math without the sales pitch
- Under three cubic yards of furniture and no deadline? Use the city’s free special pickup. Do not pay anybody, including us.
- Bigger than that, but you do not want to touch it? Our junk removal is $50 per cubic yard with a $150 minimum, and we do all the lifting and carry-out.
- Multi-day project, or you have people who can load? A roll-off dumpster from $380 flat, sitting on site while you work at your own pace.
- Worth knowing: the city’s own overflow rate is $25.65 per cubic yard, you still do all the loading, and they set the schedule.
We would rather say that out loud than charge a $150 minimum for something you can get for nothing.
Why do St. Petersburg houses produce so much debris?
The median St. Petersburg home was built in 1969. Of roughly 141,000 housing units in the city, about 70 percent went up before 1980, and 22.6 percent in the 1950s alone. Another 9 percent predate 1939.
In practice that means terrazzo floors, jalousie windows, Florida rooms, popcorn ceilings, cast iron drain lines and a great many original kitchens finally reaching the end. It is a city of small older houses being renovated one at a time, which is exactly the debris a roll-off exists for.
It also means most of the housing here predates the 1978 federal lead paint ban. If you are sanding or demolishing in a house from that era, get it tested first. We are not an abatement contractor. We do not haul asbestos, and if we think a job needs testing before anyone touches it, we will say so and stand down.
Why placement takes longer here than anywhere else in Florida
Pinellas is the most densely populated county in Florida — roughly 3,504 people per square mile, more than double Broward in second place at about 1,617. Lots are small, setbacks are short, driveways are shared, and the neighbor’s car is usually already in the way. That density is why we spend so much time on placement instead of just showing up and dropping a box. Our guide to which dumpster fits a St. Petersburg driveway covers the oaks, the brick streets and the permit rules.
Downtown towers, condo boards and contractors
Downtown St. Petersburg has roughly 9,400 residential units with another 8,050 proposed or under construction. That is a lot of turnovers, renovations and move-outs stacked into towers with loading docks, service elevators and strict rules.
Nearly all of those associations — and the Snell Isle condos and most HOA-managed properties — want a certificate of insurance naming them on file before a truck comes on site. Give us the association or management company name when you book and we will send it ahead, usually the same day. For general contractors and roofers we run scheduled swap-outs so a full box goes and an empty one lands on the same trip.
Frequently asked questions
Does St. Petersburg have free bulk trash pickup?
Yes, within limits. The on-call special pickup collects up to 3 cubic yards of furniture, carpet and appliances free, plus up to 5 tires, 5 car batteries, 2 doors, 2 windows, 2 kitchen cabinets and 2 empty 20 lb propane tanks. Call 727-893-7398 or use SeeClickFix.
How much does the city charge for a pickup over the free limit?
$25.65 per cubic yard. That rate also applies to brush, building materials and accumulated waste, which are never free through special pickup.
Can I put brush out at the curb in St. Pete?
No. Garden trash must go inside the 90-gallon cart with the lid closed, and limbs over three inches thick or four feet long are not accepted in it. Loose piles are a code violation and the city bills the owner to clear them. Use the five free brush drop-off sites instead.
When is a dumpster cheaper than the city’s pickup?
When the pile is bigger than about 15 cubic yards, when it includes building materials, or when you need it gone on your schedule. At $25.65 per cubic yard, 15 yards of city overflow costs about $385 and you still load it yourself; a 15-yard roll-off is $430 flat, sits on your driveway for the project, and includes 2.5 tons of disposal.
Need the pile gone?
Call or text 727-240-7033. We will tell you if the city will take it for free before we quote anything. Otherwise, see junk removal in St. Petersburg or dumpster rental in St. Petersburg, and read where your junk actually goes.
