Free tool · Rules & planning

Driveway Fit Checker

Every Eco Waste bin is 8 ft wide; the 12 to 20 yard bins are 14 ft long, the 25 is 16 ft and the 40 is 20 ft. Add about 8 ft at the end if you want to open the door. The truck needs more than the bin: the city standards we found ask for 18 to 30 ft of clear height, about 12 ft of width and a straight run in front of the bin of at least 45 ft. Those are industry figures, not our truck, so call us with your measurements to confirm.

No sign-up · works on your phoneUpdated September 22, 202610 sources

Your driveway

Driveway lengthftGarage door (or wall) to the street edge of the driveway.

Driveway widthftAt its narrowest point along where the bin would sit.

Overhead: trees, wires, eavesNothing overheadOpen sky over the spot and the path the truck backs along.

Slope

I know the percentMeasure with a 4-ft level

Driveway slope%Rise over run: 1 ft of drop in 20 ft of driveway is 5%.

AccessThere’s a gate or narrow pointA gate, posts or walls the truck has to back through.Cars still need to get in and outLeaves a car lane beside the bin.I want to open the door and walk inRoom at the end of the bin to swing the door and walk a wheelbarrow in.

Assumptions you can change

Straight clear run past the drivewayftUsually the street, curb to far curb, less parked cars. Measure yours.

Room to walk along the binftOur assumption. Make it 0 if you'll only load from the end.

Car lane beside the binftSeattle's standard leaves a 10-ft drive aisle beside staged dumpsters.

Room to swing the doorftA rear door about as wide as the bin (8 ft). Ask us which door our bins have.

What fits

Up to the 40 Yard Dumpster fits on paper, with tight spots

The footprint fits, but at least one truck figure is tight. The list below shows which.

Call us with your measurements to confirm for our truck.

The truck figures here are general industry numbers from hoist makers and city standards, not our truck. (949) 701-0206

12 Yard DumpsterTight: call us
14 × 8 ft · length +18 ft · width +8 ft · run 48 ft · from $650
Why: 48 ft of straight run: room for the truck, not much more
15 Yard DumpsterTight: call us
14 × 8 ft · length +18 ft · width +8 ft · run 48 ft · from $650
Why: 48 ft of straight run: room for the truck, not much more
16 Yard DumpsterTight: call us
14 × 8 ft · length +18 ft · width +8 ft · run 48 ft · from $650
Why: 48 ft of straight run: room for the truck, not much more
20 Yard DumpsterTight: call us
14 × 8 ft · length +18 ft · width +8 ft · run 48 ft · from $650
Why: 48 ft of straight run: room for the truck, not much more
25 Yard DumpsterTight: call us
16 × 8 ft · length +16 ft · width +8 ft · run 46 ft · from $650
Why: 46 ft of straight run: room for the truck, not much more
40 Yard DumpsterTight: call us
20 × 8 ft · length +12 ft · width +8 ft · run 42 ft · from $825
Why: 42 ft of straight run: room for the truck, not much more

Show every check for

Length to spare

12ft

needs 28 ft

Width to spare

8ft

needs 10 ft

Straight run

42ft

35–60 ft in the specs

Why: every check for the 40 Yard Dumpster

01Length: 12 ft to spare20 ft bin + 8 ft to open the door = 28 ft of 40 ft.
02Width: 8 ft to spare8 ft bin + 2 ft to walk = 10 ft of 18 ft.
0342 ft of straight run: room for the truck, not much moreLonger than the 35-ft roll-off trucks in Seattle's and Olympia's specs, which sit in front of the bin once it is down, but short of Olympia's 60 ft. Parked cars across the street take this away.
04Nothing overheadOpen sky over the spot and the truck's path. Look again for branches and wires before delivery day.
05Driveway 18 ft wide: truck passesAt least the 12-ft passage Seattle and Olympia ask for their roll-off trucks.
064% slope: tell usMost driveways slope. Olympia requires roll-away protection for a drop box on more than 0.5%, and a roll-off sits on rollers at one end, so the driver needs to know which way it falls.

How this was calculated

Length needed20 ft bin + 8 ft door swing28 ft

Length margin40 − 28+12 ft

Width needed8 ft bin + 2 ft to walk10 ft

Width margin18 − 10+8 ft

Straight run(40 − 28) + 30 past the driveway, bin at the back42 ft

Slope4% × 20 ft × 129.6 in end to end

Hooklift armStellar 20,000–32,000-lb hooklifts, max height when loading, 20-ft body15.4 ft–16.6 ft

Cable hoistGalbreath OR hoists, raised, 20-ft container (A + E)17 ft–18.6 ft

City standardSeattle Public Utilities, roll-off not on a dock18 ft

Equipment heights are the machine alone at its highest point; the bin on it sits higher. City standards run from 18 ft (Seattle) to 25 ft (Olympia, New York City) and 30 ft (Edinburg, Texas) because they describe different trucks and commercial sites.

Walk-around room: 2 ft
Car lane (if cars pass): 10 ft
Door swing (if opening): 8 ft
Run past the driveway: 30 ft
Bin placed: at the back
Bag footprint: 7 × 4 ft

Too tight for a roll-off? A dumpster bag ($29, plus $279 pickup) is 7 × 4 ft: it fits here with 12 ft to spare in width.

Worked example

A 40 × 18 ft driveway with a 4% slope

The spot: 40 ft from the garage door to the street, 18 ft wide, nothing overhead, 30 ft of clear street in front, and the homeowner wants to open the door and walk in.

20 yard (14 × 8 ft): 14 + 8 ft door swing = 22 ft, leaving 18 ft. Width 8 + 2 ft to walk = 10 ft, leaving 8 ft. Straight run in front of the bin: (40 − 22) + 30 = 48 ft. That’s longer than a 35-ft roll-off truck but short of Olympia’s 60 ft, so the result is tight: call us.

40 yard (20 × 8 ft): needs 28 ft, leaving 12 ft, with 42 ft of run: tight: call us. At 4% the bin’s ends sit 9.6 inches apart in height.

If cars have to get past: a 10-ft lane beside the bin makes the width 20 ft, 2 ft more than the driveway has, so no roll-off fits. A $29 bag (7 × 4 ft) needs 16 ft and fits.

Reference

Footprints and clearances by bin length

Bin sizes are Eco Waste’s. Equipment heights are general figures from two manufacturers for a container of that length, measured from the ground to the machine’s highest point, before the bin on it. They are not our truck. Walk room (2 ft), door swing (8 ft) and car lane (10 ft) are the tool’s editable assumptions.

Eco Waste dumpster footprints, room needed with door and car lane, and roll-off equipment heights by bin length
Bins	Footprint	Length with door open	Width with walk room	Width with car lane	Hooklift arm, top of swing	Cable hoist, raised
12, 15, 16, 20 yard	14 × 8 ft	22 ft	10 ft	20 ft	11.9 ft–13 ft	15.5 ft–16.6 ft
25 yard	16 × 8 ft	24 ft	10 ft	20 ft	13.5 ft–14.3 ft	15.5 ft–16.6 ft
40 yard	20 × 8 ft	28 ft	10 ft	20 ft	15.4 ft–16.6 ft	17 ft–18.6 ft

Roll-off truck clearances in city service standards and California code
What	Figure	Who says so	For
Overhead clearance	18 ft	Seattle Public Utilities	roll-off container not on a dock
Overhead clearance	25 ft	City of Olympia, WA	loading area for drop boxes
Overhead clearance	25 ft	NYC Sanitation	rail extension with a 23-ft compactor box
Overhead clearance	30 ft	City of Edinburg, TX	commercial roll-off service
Straight run	45 ft	Seattle Public Utilities	minimum backing distance
Straight run	60 ft	City of Olympia, WA	clear area in front of the container
Straight run	132 ft	City of Edinburg, TX	to approach and load (commercial)
Truck length	35 ft	Seattle Public Utilities	roll-off truck
Truck length	35 ft	City of Olympia, WA	drop-box truck
Truck length	37 ft	NYC Sanitation	roll-on/roll-off truck
Truck width	8.5 ft / 10.1 ft	Seattle Public Utilities	roll-off truck without / with mirrors
Passage width	12 ft	Seattle; Olympia, WA	approach lane for the truck
Slope	0.5%	City of Olympia, WA	drop-box pad; roll-away protection above it
Slope	15%	Seattle Public Utilities	steepest grade for areas its trucks use
Power lines	10 ft	Cal/OSHA T8 §2946	boom-type lifting equipment from 600–50,000 V lines

Cable hoist: Galbreath OR models, A (height above frame, raised) plus E (frame to ground). Hooklift: Stellar 20,000- and 32,000-lb Shuttle, J (max height when loading). Hoist lengths overlap: a 20-ft bin is in the recommended range of more than one model, so the table shows the spread.

How to use it

In 5 steps

1Measure the driveway from the garage door (or whatever stops the bin) to the street edge, and its width at the narrowest point.
2Look up. Measure to the lowest branch, wire or roof eave over the spot and over the path the truck backs along.
3Check the slope with the percent if you know it, or a 4-ft level and a tape measure.
4Tick a gate or narrow point, and whether cars still need to get in and out.
5Read which sizes fit, then call or text us the numbers so we can confirm for our truck.

Why the truck needs more room than the bin

A roll-off arrives on the back of a truck and slides or swings down behind it. The truck backs up to the spot, tips the bin down, and drives forward out from under it. So the straight line has to hold the bin and the whole truck, and once the bin is down the truck is sitting in front of it. The roll-off trucks in Seattle’s, Olympia’s and New York City’s specs are 35 to 37 ft long and about 10.1 ft wide at the mirrors.

Height matters while the bin is tipped. On a cable hoist, the rails rise to a dump angle of about 48 to 51 degrees, and Galbreath’s raised hoists reach 15.5 ft–16.6 ft off the ground for a 14-ft container and 17 ft–18.6 ft for a 20-ft one, before the bin on top. A hooklift swings an arm up and over; Stellar lists 11.9 ft to 16.6 ft at the top of the arm’s swing across those lengths. Trees and wires lower than that are the most common reason a driveway doesn’t work.

The city standards disagree, and we show them all rather than pick one: Seattle asks 18 ft of overhead for a roll-off, Olympia and New York City 25 ft, Edinburg, Texas, 30 ft. They were written for commercial sites and their own trucks. None of them describes our equipment, which is why every answer here ends with “call us.” If the driveway won’t work, a dumpster bag takes a 7 × 4 ft spot, or the bin can go in the street with a permit: see the Dumpster Permit Checker and where to put a dumpster.

FAQ

Driveway fit: questions

How much space do you need for a dumpster in a driveway?

The bin itself: every Eco Waste bin is 8 ft wide, and the 12 to 20 yard bins are 14 ft long (25 yard 16 ft, 40 yard 20 ft). Add about 8 ft at one end to open the rear door and a couple of feet to walk along the side. The truck needs a straight run in front of the bin: at least its own length, about 35 ft, and Olympia, Washington's standard asks 60 ft.

How much overhead clearance does a roll-off truck need?

City standards range from 18 ft (Seattle, for a roll-off not on a dock) to 25 ft (Olympia and New York City) and 30 ft (Edinburg, Texas, for commercial service). Manufacturer figures for the equipment alone, before the bin on it, run from about 11.9 ft (a hooklift arm for a 14-ft bin) to 18.6 ft (a raised cable hoist for a 20-ft container). Ask us for our truck's number.

Can a dumpster go on a sloped driveway?

Usually, but tell us the slope. Olympia, Washington, wants drop boxes on pads of 0.5% or less and roll-away protection above that, and Seattle keeps its trucks to grades of 15% or less. A roll-off sits on rollers at one end, so the driver needs to know which way the driveway falls.

Will a dumpster block my garage?

Only if the driveway is too narrow to leave a lane. With a 10-ft car lane (Seattle's drive-aisle figure), an 8-ft bin and 2 ft to walk, the driveway needs to be about 20 ft wide. Otherwise plan on parking on the street until the bin goes.

What about power lines over the driveway?

California's Title 8 §2946 keeps boom-type lifting or hoisting equipment at least 10 ft from energized lines of 600 to 50,000 volts and bars operating it over them. You can't tell a line's voltage by looking, so tell us about any wire over the spot.

Something not answered here? Call or text — it’s quicker than guessing.

(949) 701-0206 Send it in writing

Sources

Where these numbers come from

[1]Eco Waste dumpster sizes (ecowastedumpsters.com) (opens in a new tab)Bin footprints from Eco Waste's size diagrams: 12, 15, 16 and 20 yard 14 × 8 ft; 25 yard 16 × 8 ft; 40 yard 20 × 8 ft. Bag 7 × 4 ft. read Sep 22, 2026.
[2]Galbreath, Legacy (U-Series) roll-off cable hoists brochure (2018) (opens in a new tab)Height above frame (A), frame to ground (E), raised dump angle and recommended container length for each OR model. read Sep 22, 2026.
[3]Galbreath, U5-OX-174/194 roll-off cable hoist data sheet (2017) (opens in a new tab)Drawing showing A is measured to the raised hoist; A 161 3/4" (174" model) and 180 9/16" (194"), E 42". read Sep 22, 2026.
[4]Stellar Industries, Stellar Hooklift Specifications book (opens in a new tab)J, "Max. Height When Loading", and recommended body lengths for the 20,000- and 32,000-lb Stellar Shuttle hooklifts. read Sep 22, 2026.
[5]Seattle Public Utilities, Solid Waste Storage and Access Checklist for Designers (March 2024) (opens in a new tab)Roll-off service: 45-ft minimum backing distance, 12-ft wide approach, 18 ft overhead if the container is not on a dock, truck areas 15% grade or less; a 10-ft drive aisle beside staged dumpsters. read Sep 22, 2026.
[6]Seattle Public Utilities, 2019–2029 Solid Waste Truck Specifications (opens in a new tab)Roll-off truck 35 ft long, 8.5 ft wide without mirrors, 10.1 ft with, 10 ft high. read Sep 22, 2026.
[7]City of Olympia, WA, Engineering Design & Development Standards, ch. 8 Waste ReSources (opens in a new tab)Drop boxes: 25 ft vertical space in the loading area, a 60-ft clear service length in front of the container, 12 ft wide; truck 35 ft long, 9.5 ft wide; pad no more than 0.5% slope. read Sep 22, 2026.
[8]NYC Department of Sanitation, roll-on/roll-off container guide (opens in a new tab)"25' vertical clearance required"; truck 37 ft long, 9 ft wide. read Sep 22, 2026.
[9]City of Edinburg, TX, Site Development Guidelines for Solid Waste Collection (v1.5, Feb 2024) (opens in a new tab)Roll-off vehicles need 132 ft to approach and load and 30 ft of overhead clearance (commercial). read Sep 22, 2026.
[10]Cal/OSHA, Title 8 §2946, Provisions for Preventing Accidents Due to Proximity to Overhead Lines (opens in a new tab)Table 2: boom-type lifting or hoisting equipment at least 10 ft from energized lines of 600–50,000 volts. read Sep 22, 2026.

Last reviewed September 22, 2026. Spot something wrong? Text (949) 701-0206 and it gets fixed.

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