Frequently Asked Questions

New residents can follow the New Resident Checklist  for all York County services that need to be started and/or connected.  Trash can be initiated by calling 757-890-3780.

Bulk Collections can be requested through the Customer Service Request Portal or by calling the Waste Management Center at 890-3780.  Some limits may apply.

Waste Management Office
Administrative Hours
Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Facility Hours:
Recycling Center, Transfer Station, Citizen Garbage Drop-off
Monday - Saturday 7 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Compost Facility
Monday - Saturday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

There are a variety of reasons that could be the cause of non-collection. Here are the most common: 

• Too close to another item for automated truck to collect (must be three feet away from any other item) 
• Must be out by 7 a.m. on your collection day (late set out)
• Overloaded (more than 260 pounds in weight)
• Overstuffed (lid not closed and trash would spill when lifted)
• Opening of the trash container not facing the street
• Have more containers than you are paying for (other containers not collected)
• See tag left on container for other reasons

For additional information call Waste Management at 757-890-3780, or to report a miss please enter a service request in the Customer Service Request Portal.

You may bring your trash to the Transfer Station at the Waste Management Center located at 145 Goodwin Neck Road during operating hours at no charge, provided you are on the York County trash service.

Our trash contractor observes at least the following holidays: New Year's Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Collections that fall on these holidays will be delayed by one day and each collection day that follows the holiday will be delayed by one day (for example, if the holiday is on a Tuesday, Tuesday's collections will be on Wednesday, Wednesday's will be on Thursday, etc.). All other holidays will have regular collection.

Curbside Recycling Collection Calendar (PDF)

You may put bagged leaves or grass clippings in your container for pickup. Please make sure that you do not overload your container when doing so as the truck cannot lift the container if it weighs more than 260 pounds or if the lid is not closed on the container.

Visit the Yard Debris Collection page for more information.

Tires cannot be picked up at the curb. You may bring tires to the Waste Management Center for disposal, up to five per day and there is a fee involved depending on tire size.

If you are experiencing a sanitary sewer system backup, please call Department of Public Works at 757-890-3773 immediately so we can verify if the backup is occurring at the main water/sewer line or at the house water/sewer line.  Please be prepared to provide the following information:

1.  Contact Information

• Name
• Address
• Phone Number

2.  What items are currently experiencing a backup in your home

York County Ordinance requires “Each septic tank and/or pumping chamber should be inspected and if necessary, pumped out and the solids removed at least once every five (5) years.”  Receipts must be sent to Department of Public Works for recording.  Homeowners with septic tanks are encouraged to create an inspection schedule to determine if more frequent inspection/pump out is necessary.

Receipts for septic tank inspection/pump out should be sent to 757-890-3759 (fax), emailed to septic@yorkcounty.gov, or mailed to:

York County Department of Public Works
Septic Tank Pump-Out
P.O. Box 532
Yorktown, Virginia 23690

Please call Department of Public Works at 757-890-3750 and we will have the Stormwater engineers investigate the issue.

That depends on where the ditch is located.

Roadside ditches are maintained by VDOT. If it is along the road, it is in the VDOT right-of-way (ROW) and it is their responsibility to maintain and repair.

You can reach the local VDOT Residency Administrator’s office by phone at 757-253-5138, the Williamsburg Area Maintenance Headquarters at 757-253-5138, or the Seaford Area Maintenance Headquarters at 757-898-5151.

You can also submit a service request online at https://my.vdot.virginia.gov/, or call the central service center at 1-800-FOR-ROAD (367-7623).

If the ditch is not along the roadway, or if it is outside the VDOT ROW, then the county would maintain it (if it is in an easement dedicated to York County). If it is off the roadway and in a county easement, please call Department of Public Works at 757-890-3750 and we will have the Stormwater engineers investigate the issue. You can also put in a customer service request on our website here.

Some easements are dedicated to Homeowners Associations (HOA’s) and would be their responsibility to fix.

To find out who owns or maintains the ditches and pipes, you should start by looking at the plat for your property or subdivision. If you don’t have a copy of this, you can find it on the county website by going to property information and looking up the address.  Once you are on the property in question, go to the map and under "Tools" on the upper right side, click on "Identify". Then go to the left side under "Layers" at the pop down box click on "Plat" link. Go back to the parcel in question and click on it again. Click the "More Information" link and you should be able to see the subdivision plat.

If that doesn’t work or you’re still not sure, go to the Customer Service Request Portal and put in your service request. You will be provided a work order request number.

To help yourself and your neighbors, keep your ditches clean of leaves and other debris. If a big storm is coming, check to make sure nothing is blocking drainage. Loose items can wash into drainage ways so make sure items are put away.

On the County's website go to Property Information Lookup and type in your street name. It will list the flood zones on the information for your property and the different elevations for the AE Zone. If you go to maps and then view Interactive Map it will show your property. On the left column check Buildings and Flood Zone (under Environmental) and it will show the flood zone with relation to your house.

An illicit discharge is anything other than stormwater. Pollutants that are intentionally dumped into stormwater are considered illicit and the polluter can be sited for a violation of the County Stormwater Ordinance if they are caught discharging in to the County Stormwater System. 

Certain activities are allowed, which include (but are not limited to): 

• Water line flushing 
• Landscape irrigation 
• Diverted stream flows or rising groundwater 
• Infiltration of uncontaminated groundwater 
• Public safety activities 
• Pumping of uncontaminated groundwater from potable water sources, or foundation drains, irrigation waters, springs or water from crawl spaces or footing drains 
• Air conditioning condensation 
• Lawn watering 
• Individual residential car washing 
• Flows from riparian habitats or wetlands 
• Dechlorinated swimming pool discharges 
• Street flushing 
• Those permitted by the State DEQ or DCR

To report illicit discharge, please enter a service request on our website here.

Road maintenance, to include snow removal and repairs, in York County is performed by Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).  You can reach the local VDOT Residency Administrator's office by phone at 757-253-5138, the Seaford Area Maintenance Headquarters at 757-898-5151, or the Williamsburg Area Maintenance Headquarters at 757-253-5138.

You can also submit a service request online, or call the central service center at 1-800-FOR-ROAD (367-7623).

Please visit VDOT Resources to find answers to many VDOT related questions.

VDOT is responsible for any snow removal and landscape maintenance of medians and roadsides of York County roads.  

The Division of Building Regulation is responsible for monitoring all types of building construction in the county.

The Customer Service Request Portal provides an opportunity for residents to provide feedback and identify concerns and issues.

You can help reduce pollution with these tips: - Do not dump anything but clean water into the storm drains or ditches - Apply fertilizers correctly - Pick up dog waste

TMDL stands for Total Maximum Daily Load and it's an EPA term for the maximum amount of a pollutants (i.e. phosphorous, nitrogen, total suspended solids/silt) that is allowed in a creek or river on an average daily basis.

For Utilities Billing, to include sewer maintenance, trash and recycling billing please call the Finance Department at 757-890-3702.

For Personal Property or Real Estate Billing, please call the Treasurer at 757-890-3420    

Please contact the Finance Department Utilities Billing at 757-890-3702.