What Size Dumpster Do I Need? A Dothan, AL Guide

Quick answer by project type

For most home projects around Dothan, the 20 yard dumpster is the place to start. It is one of our most popular sizes because it balances debris capacity with convenient placement, and it handles kitchen and bathroom remodels, whole-home cleanouts, roofing debris, landscaping projects and medium renovations. Go 10 yard for small kitchen remodels, bathroom renovations, roofing tear-offs, concrete disposal, tile removal, garage cleanouts and small demolition jobs; it works best for heavy materials rather than bulky debris. Go 15 yard for garage, attic and basement cleanups, flooring removal, deck and fence removal, landscaping cleanup and tree trimming debris. Go 30 yard for full-home renovations, estate cleanouts, commercial remodeling, large property cleanups and demolition debris, and 40 yard for commercial construction, demolition projects, large roofing jobs, warehouse cleanouts and multi-property cleanouts. Not sure? Call (334) 686-0763 and we help you pick.

A few rules of thumb from the jobs we see. For a roof, our 10 and 20 yard dumpsters are the popular choices for shingles, underlayment and general roofing debris. For yard waste, the 15 and 20 yard are the usual fit for landscaping debris, tree branches, brush and leaves. For remodeling, construction and demolition, the 20, 30 and 40 do the heavy lifting. Heavy materials such as dirt, concrete, brick and asphalt are usually limited to a 10 or a 15. And if the job grows, we can arrange a swap-out or an additional container.

The five sizes side by side

All five are open-top roll-offs about 7.5 feet wide. The 10 and 15 are shorter boxes; the 20, 30 and 40 share a length of about 22 feet and simply get taller. Pickup truck loads and standard 33-gallon trash bags are a rough guide to volume. The weight column is the allowance a rental usually includes, which depends on the debris type.

Most people under-count the pile. Walk the house or the job before you call, estimate how many pickup loads you expect, and tell us what the material is. When we recommend a size we look at three things: the type of debris, the project scope and the space available for safe placement. We can help estimate debris weight from your project details before delivery, so you avoid paying for space you do not need and still have enough room to finish.

Check the weight, not just the volume

Volume and weight are two separate limits. Furniture and household junk are bulky and light; tile, roofing shingles, dirt, concrete and wet yard waste reach the weight limit quickly, often before the box looks full. Each dumpster includes a standard weight allowance based on its size and the debris type, and if your debris goes over it, additional overage fees may apply based on disposal weight. If more than half of your debris is concrete, dirt, brick, tile or plaster, a 10 yard may be more efficient, and for very heavy debris, smaller dumpsters or split-load arrangements can be the more cost-effective route. Separate heavy materials whenever possible, and tell us what you have so we can plan it.

Load evenly throughout the box and keep everything level with or below the top edge. Overfilled dumpsters cannot be legally transported. Alabama law says no vehicle may be driven or moved on any highway unless it is built or loaded so none of its load can drop, sift, leak or otherwise escape (Code of Ala. § 32-5-76(b)), trucks hauling garbage and rubbish must be covered, secured or sealed so nothing is lost on the way (§ 22-27-3(f)), and Dothan requires vehicles carrying solid waste in public places to be covered or tarped (City Code § 82-112). An overfilled box cannot be covered properly, so if you need more space, call us for a swap-out or an additional container.

Measure the drop spot

Check the length first: about 14 feet for a 10 yard, about 16 for a 15, and about 22 feet for the 20, 30 and 40, all about 7.5 feet wide. Allow approximately 60 feet of space for the truck to position the dumpster, check overhead for low wires and tree branches, and move vehicles, trailers and bins before delivery. Driveways, gravel areas and paved surfaces work best, and boards can go under the contact points if you ask when you book. If you will not be home, clearly mark where you want the box. The 10 yard is compact for tighter driveways, the 15 and 20 fit comfortably on many residential driveways around Dothan, and the 30 fits many driveways and commercial properties.

In Dothan, keep it on your property. We found no City permit or rule for a temporary roll-off on private property, and no dumpster permit of any kind. In the street it is a different story: City Code § 86-1 makes it unlawful to keep boxes, rubbish or other articles on a sidewalk, street, alley or public way unless under a valid permit from the city, and putting debris on a street needs a written permit from the city engineer or public works director (§ 86-8). The truck matters too: anything heavier than a one-ton pickup may not stop or park on residential streets except while loading or unloading (§ 98-91). So the driveway comes first. Ozark (§ 16-1) and Abbeville (§ 46-2) ban street obstructions outright, and Headland's building permits say the dumpster must be on the job site. The permit guide covers every town we list.

Why the curb will not do it

City of Dothan trash pickup takes yard waste and bulk items such as furniture and appliances, one pile per residence, placed at the curb and not in the street, with limbs no longer than 5 feet and no thicker than 8 inches. The City's own page lists what it does not accept: construction or demolition debris, tires and commercial waste. The City Code puts building material from anything beyond minor repairs by the owner, trash from contractor work, tires, and any item over 50 pounds or 35 gallons on the owner or producer (§ 82-20(h)), and the City does not collect refuse from businesses at all (§ 82-36(a)). That covers a couch, not a remodel.

Outside the city, Houston County's household garbage policy, effective October 1, 2026, does not count household furnishings, carpet, construction or remodeling debris, appliances, batteries, tires or propane tanks as garbage; debris generated by a contractor, or placed on the county right-of-way using heavy equipment, carries a minimum charge of $400, and the County will not collect stumps or land-clearing debris. The towns draw the same line: Enterprise (§ 13-80), Ozark (§ 10-26) and Abbeville (§ 28-13) leave building debris to the owner, and Ashford leaves it to the contractor or property owner (Ord. 2026-001 § 3F). A roll-off is for the pile that is bigger, heavier or sooner than any of that allows.

Five ways to get the size right

1. Estimate the debris before you call. Count rooms or pickup loads, or measure the flooring or roofing coming off.
2. Allow for bulky items. Furniture, cabinets and deck boards take up more room than they weigh, so break them down to save space.
3. Ask about weight, not just yardage. Concrete, dirt, brick, asphalt, tile and shingles go by weight and usually belong in a 10 or a 15.
4. Keep heavy, light and green apart. Separate heavy materials whenever possible, and keep a yard waste box free of treated lumber, plastic containers and household trash.
5. Call early. We offer same-day and next-day delivery in many parts of Dothan and nearby areas, depending on availability. Calling earlier in the day gives you the best chance of same-day service.

Describe the job on the phone, with the materials, the scope and the timeline, and we recommend the size that fits. Changing sizes is easiest before delivery, so call us as soon as the plan changes. If the project grows after the box arrives, we can arrange a swap-out or an additional container.