If you own or are buying an Azusa rental building or condo complex, the trash ordinance puts practical questions on your checklist: who manages service, how tenants receive sorting instructions, and whether the account is paid. Under Chapter 58’s definitions, five or more units count as multi-family. A duplex, triplex or fourplex falls under the single-family category.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Did the council adopt the ordinance?
Ordinance 2026-07 was up for adoption on September 21, 2026. As of October 20, 2026, the city had not posted minutes for the September 21 meeting, so confirm adoption and the effective date with the City Clerk.
The council introduced it on August 17, 2026, and the September 21 agenda listed adoption as item E-5. Section 4 says it “shall take effect 30 days after the adoption.”
The staff report and attached ordinance describe revisions covering three-container service, organic waste collection and recycling, and enforcement procedures. The report says adopting the amendments has no direct fiscal impact. That statement is separate from the rate resolution discussed below.
Which properties count as multi-family?
Residential premises with five or more dwelling units count as multi-family under section 58-38.
The definition matters because ordinary property descriptions don’t necessarily match this chapter’s categories. You might describe your fourplex as a multi-family investment, but Chapter 58 treats premises with fewer than five units as single-family. It also says a multi-family dwelling with fewer than five units isn’t a commercial business for this chapter.
Smaller properties still have sorting obligations. Section 58-39 says single-family generators shall subscribe to organic waste collection and put organics in green containers, recyclables in blue containers, and remaining waste in black containers. The city may review container number and size and require service adjustments.
For new buildings of five or more units, the ordinance also requires planning space for recycling under the CALGreen sections it cites.
Who handles containers and service?
The responsible party handles the collection subscription and service payments, while the multi-family requirements call for access to adequate, properly identified containers.
Section 58-38 allows that responsible party to be the property owner, homeowners’ association, property manager or designated multi-family residential dwelling utility billing collector. That party is responsible for arranging collection of service payments from individual units or tenants.
Section 58-40 requires commercial businesses, including multi-family dwellings, to subscribe to the city’s three-container service unless they meet the self-hauler rules in section 58-45:
- Green containers hold source-separated organic waste, including food waste.
- Blue containers hold recyclables.
- Black containers hold the remaining waste.
Containers must have adequate number, size and location, with sufficient labels or colors, and be accessible to employees, contractors, tenants and customers. The city or its designee may review service and require changes to container capacity or collection frequency.
The documents don’t give an existing-building deadline for obtaining three containers. Documented waivers for some organic waste requirements may be available under section 58-41, but they aren’t automatic.
What must tenants be told?
New tenants must receive sorting and container information before or within 14 days of occupation, and information must also be provided annually.
Section 58-40(2)(g) requires education describing how to keep organics in the green container and recyclables in the blue container separate from black container waste, when applicable. It must also identify container locations and the rules governing their use at the property.
The annual requirement covers employees, contractors, tenants and customers. It addresses organic waste recovery requirements and proper sorting.
For an owner preparing to sell, useful records to gather include the tenant information, container instructions and identification of the party managing service. These make the building’s arrangements easier for a buyer to review. For a condo complex, read that material alongside the records discussed in the California HOA disclosure guide.
What inspections and penalties does the text allow?
The ordinance requires access for inspections and allows a separate administrative citation for each day a violation exists.
Section 58-40(2)(h) requires providing or arranging access for the city or its designee during inspections. The documents don’t establish inspection frequency or say that penalties have been issued at any particular property.
Under section 58-50, Chapter 58 violations are misdemeanors, but a peace officer may cite them as a misdemeanor, infraction or administrative citation. An administrative fine may not exceed $1,000.00 for a violation. Each day an enforcement violation exists is a new violation and may be separately cited.
There’s also a straightforward curb rule: section 58-55 requires all residential solid waste containers to be removed from the curb on the same date they’re emptied.
How do billing and rate adjustments work?
For multi-family dwellings, section 58-56(c) bases billing on service level and collection frequency, rather than individual units or occupancy.
Each service location must have a responsible party. Bills are quarterly in advance and become delinquent 30 days thereafter. Section 58-56(d) allows the city to discontinue service for nonpayment and makes the unpaid fee a civil liability and debt due to the franchised hauler.
Athens Services bills customers directly. Rates depend on customer type, container size, waste type and service frequency.
Resolution No. 2026-C42 was the rate resolution before the council at the July 20, 2026 hearing. It set out rates effective August 1, 2026, with a schedule running through June 30, 2027. Beginning July 1, 2027 and each July 1 through 2031, rates may be adjusted annually without another public hearing under its Consumer Price Index formula, subject to minimum and maximum yearly changes and 30 days’ prior written notice.
Can overdue charges affect a sale?
Yes, section 58-58 provides for trash charges that are 60 days or more past due to reach the property tax roll as a special assessment.
After a 60-day period of nonpayment, the hauler sends a final request by mail or email. It warns that charges unpaid within 30 days will be turned over to the city for placement on the tax rolls. The section also provides an owner the right to contest placement before the director of administrative services or a designee.
For buyers and sellers, that makes the trash account worth checking alongside property records. Ask for the current balance and any delinquency or assessment notices; a service bill and an assessment record answer different questions.
The California seller disclosure guide can help organize the broader review. Keep this special assessment distinct from the separate subject covered in the supplemental property tax bill guide.
The short version
For an Azusa property with five or more units, review the responsible party, three-container service, tenant information, inspection access and account balance.
For a duplex through fourplex, use Chapter 58’s single-family category while checking its sorting and service requirements.
If you’re preparing to sell, start your pricing review with the home value tool.
Common questions
Does a duplex count as multi-family under Chapter 58?
No. Chapter 58 defines multi-family as residential premises with five or more dwelling units. A duplex, triplex or fourplex falls under its single-family category.
What information does the ordinance require for new tenants?
The text requires education information before or within 14 days of occupation, covering sorting, container locations and the property's rules for using them. It also requires annual information.
How are buildings with five or more units billed?
The ordinance text bases billing on service level and collection frequency, rather than individual units or occupancy. Each service location must have a responsible party.
Can unpaid trash charges reach the property tax roll?
Section 58-58 provides for charges that are 60 days or more past due to be placed on the property tax roll as a special assessment, subject to its notice and contest process.
