Tires are banned from landfills in 38 states because stockpiled rubber breeds Aedes mosquitoes, creates fire loads that burn for months at 2,000°F, and leaches benzene and heavy metals into groundwater within 18 months of burial.
Regulatory guide
Tire Disposal Regulations for Junk Removal Operators
Plan tire pickups around transporter requirements, processor acceptance, disposal fees, and surcharges so quotes reflect the handling and disposal work involved.
Last updated: Mar 2026
Compliance
What the rule is about
Waste tire stockpiles pose catastrophic environmental and public-health risks. The 1999 Westley tire fire in California burned 7 million tires for over two years and cost $16.4 million to extinguish. State tire disposal regulations exist to force proper recycling channels, fund cleanup of legacy dump sites through per-tire fees, and prevent the mosquito-borne disease outbreaks associated with standing water inside discarded tires.
At least 29 states require a separate waste tire transporter registration or permit — distinct from your general solid-waste hauler license — with annual fees ranging from $0 in Georgia to $200 in California, and failure to register is treated as an independent violation per load.
Disposal fees at licensed processors average $2–$5 per passenger tire (P-metric sizes 13–18 inches), $10–$25 per commercial truck or off-road tire, and an additional $1–$3 surcharge per tire if rims are still mounted because the processor must separate steel before shredding.
Illegal tire dumping penalties start at $500 per incident in lenient states and climb to $25,000+ per occurrence in California, New York, and Texas — plus the operator can be held liable for full site remediation costs that routinely exceed $10,000 for piles of 100+ tires.
The U.S. generates roughly 300 million scrap tires per year, and legitimate recycling channels — tire-derived fuel, crumb rubber, civil engineering fill — absorb about 81% of that volume, meaning processor capacity exists but you must route to the right facility.
Revenue upside is real: a 20-tire garage cleanout billed at $6 per tire generates $120 in surcharge revenue against roughly $60–$80 in disposal costs, netting $40–$60 in pure margin on what most operators leave on the table.
Applicability
When it applies
Applies if
- You find tires during residential garage, shed, or yard cleanouts and load them onto your truck alongside other debris
- You haul tires as part of estate cleanouts, eviction turnovers, or foreclosure property preparation where tire piles are common
- Your state mandates a waste tire transporter registration — check your environmental agency's website because 29+ states require it
- You advertise tire removal as a standalone service or line item and charge customers per-tire pricing for pickup and disposal
- You operate in a county or municipality with additional local tire ordinances layered on top of state requirements
Does not apply
- You exclusively haul furniture, appliances, and general household junk and never encounter tires on any job site
- You formally refuse all tire pickups in your booking flow, disclose this to customers upfront, and refer tire work to a licensed hauler
- You are an auto shop or tire retailer disposing of tires through your existing wholesale retreader or manufacturer take-back program
Gray areas
- Tires still mounted on rims create processing complexity — some facilities charge $1–$3 extra per rim-on tire while others refuse them entirely, so confirm acceptance before you load
- Small quantities of 1–4 tires per load may be exempt from transporter registration in states like Ohio and Virginia, but the landfill ban still applies — you must still deliver them to a licensed processor
- Off-road, agricultural, and oversize tires (loader tires, tractor tires over 24.5 inches) often require specialized processors and carry disposal fees of $25–$75 each — standard facilities may turn them away
- Tires collected from commercial clients like auto dealers or fleet yards may push you into a higher-volume hauler tier that triggers manifest and reporting requirements absent from residential-only work
Checklist
Documents and requirements
State Registration & Licensing
- Search your state environmental agency website for 'waste tire transporter registration' — 29+ states require it as a standalone permit
- Complete the registration application online or by mail, providing your business EIN, vehicle information, and proof of general liability insurance
- Pay the annual registration fee, which ranges from $0 in Georgia and Tennessee to $200 in California and New York depending on fleet size
- Print your registration certificate and keep a copy in every truck that may haul tires — inspectors can request proof during roadside stops
- Set a calendar reminder 30 days before renewal — most states auto-expire registrations and hauling on a lapsed certificate is treated identically to no registration
- Confirm whether your county or municipality layers additional local tire hauler permits on top of the state requirement, especially in metro areas like Houston, Phoenix, and Miami-Dade
Disposal Routing & Processor Relationships
- Identify at least two licensed waste tire processors or recyclers within a 30-mile radius of your primary service area to avoid single-point-of-failure routing
- Open a commercial account with your primary processor and negotiate volume pricing — haulers delivering 50+ tires per month often get $0.50–$1.00 off per tire
- Confirm which tire types each facility accepts: passenger, light truck, commercial truck, agricultural, off-road, and whether they take rim-on tires
- Ask about operating hours and peak-day wait times — some processors have 30–45 minute queues on Monday mornings that kill your crew's productivity
- Request a rate sheet in writing so you have documentation if the processor raises fees mid-year, and build an annual review into your Q4 planning
- Verify the processor's own state license is current — if you deliver to an unlicensed facility, you share liability for any environmental violations they commit
Pricing, Quoting & Margin Protection
- Add a per-tire surcharge of $5–$8 for standard passenger tires (covering $2–$5 disposal plus $3 handling margin) to every quote that includes tire removal
- Price light-truck and SUV tires at $8–$12 each because their larger casing size increases disposal fees and takes more truck space per unit
- Quote commercial truck, tractor, and off-road tires at $20–$40 each to cover $10–$25 disposal fees plus the labor and space they consume on your load
- Add a $2–$3 rim surcharge per tire when rims are still mounted — processors pass this cost to you and it erodes margin if you absorb it
- Disclose tire surcharges as a separate line item on your quote so the customer sees the charge before arrival and your crew avoids on-site price disputes
- Build a tire-specific item in your ScaleYourJunk pricing configuration so the surcharge auto-calculates in your load-based booking flow and shows on the customer receipt
Record-Keeping & Manifests
- Collect a disposal receipt from your tire processor for every delivery showing date, tire count by type, and total fee paid — this is your audit trail
- If your state requires waste tire manifests or trip tickets, complete them per load with origin address, tire count, hauler registration number, and destination facility name
- Store disposal receipts and manifests for a minimum of two years — some states like California require three years, so default to three to be safe
- Log tire counts per job in your ScaleYourJunk job record so you can reconcile processor invoices against field data and catch discrepancies before they become losses
- Review your tire disposal spend quarterly against revenue collected from tire surcharges — healthy operators maintain a 40–60% gross margin on tire line items
Records
Documents to keep
Waste Tire Transporter Registration Certificate
Who State environmental agency (DEQ, TCEQ, DEP, or equivalent)
How often Annual renewal — most states auto-expire with no grace period
Where Original in office, laminated copy in every truck that may haul tires
Tire Disposal Receipts
Who Licensed tire processor or recycling facility
How often Every delivery — one receipt per load showing tire count and type
Where Digital scan in job records plus paper backup — retain minimum 2–3 years
Tire Processor Account Agreement & Rate Sheet
Who Business owner and processor facility manager
How often Review and update annually during Q4 planning cycle
Where Office files with a copy accessible to dispatch for fee verification
Waste Tire Manifest or Trip Ticket
Who Driver completes per load — required in states like CA, TX, OH, FL
How often Per load when state requires it — check your state's manifest threshold
Where Triplicate: one copy to processor, one in truck, one in office — retain 3 years
General Liability Insurance Declaration Page
Who Your insurance carrier — some states require proof during tire transporter registration
How often Update annually at policy renewal or whenever coverage changes
Where Office plus digital copy on phone for field reference during inspections
Cost and timing
Planning notes
$0–$200 in annual registration plus $2–$25 per tire in disposal fees — fully recoverable through per-tire surcharges of $5–$40 that maintain a 40–60% gross margin on every tire you haul.
State waste tire transporter registration fee
$0–$200/yearAnnual — ranges from free (GA, TN) to $200 (CA, NY)
Passenger tire disposal (P-metric 13–18 inch)
$2–$5 per tirePer tire at processor
Light-truck and SUV tire disposal (LT 16–20 inch)
$4–$8 per tirePer tire at processor
Commercial truck and off-road tire disposal (24.5 inch+)
$10–$25 per tirePer tire at processor — oversize/ag tires may run $25–$75
Rim-on processing surcharge
$1–$3 per tirePer rim-on tire — added on top of base disposal fee
Manifest or trip-ticket booklets (where required)
$15–$40 per booklet of 50 manifestsAs needed — typically 1–2 booklets per year for most junk haulers
FAQ
Can I put tires in the landfill?
No — 38 states ban whole tires from landfills entirely. A few states allow shredded tires with a surcharge of $1–$3 per tire, but your local transfer station almost certainly rejects whole casings. You must route tires to a licensed tire processor or recycler. Call your regular dump before your next load to confirm their policy, and have a processor relationship in place so you are never stuck with tires you cannot legally dispose of.
Do I need a special license to haul waste tires?
Yes, in most states. At least 29 states require a dedicated waste tire transporter registration that is separate from your general solid-waste hauler permit. The application is typically a one-page online form with a fee of $0–$200 per year. Processing takes one to three business days. Keep the certificate in every truck because inspectors can request it during roadside stops, and hauling without it carries fines of $500–$10,000 per load depending on your state.
How much should I charge customers per tire for removal?
Charge $5–$8 per standard passenger tire to cover $2–$5 in disposal plus a $3 handling margin. Light-truck and SUV tires should be $8–$12 each. Commercial truck and off-road tires should be $20–$40 each. Add $2–$3 per tire when rims are still mounted. Always disclose the surcharge as a separate line item in your quote so customers see it before your crew arrives. A 20-tire garage cleanout at $6 per tire nets you $40–$60 in profit after disposal.
What if I only pick up a few tires occasionally?
Some states exempt haulers carrying fewer than 10–25 tires per load from transporter registration — Ohio exempts under 10, Virginia under 25. However, the landfill ban still applies regardless of quantity, so you must still deliver even a single tire to a licensed processor. Check your state's small-quantity threshold on their environmental agency website. If you are close to the limit, register anyway — the $0–$200 annual fee is trivial compared to a $2,500 citation.
How much does it cost to dispose of tires at a recycler?
Licensed processors typically charge $2–$5 per standard passenger tire, $4–$8 per light-truck tire, $10–$25 per commercial truck tire, and $25–$75 for oversize agricultural or loader tires. Rim-on tires add $1–$3 per unit because the processor must separate steel before shredding. Negotiate volume pricing if you deliver 50+ tires per month — most facilities offer $0.50–$1.00 off per tire for consistent haulers. Always get the rate sheet in writing so fees do not change without notice.
Resources
Related Resources
Feature
Disposal Cost Recording
Record disposal cost, tons, the dump site and a receipt photo in the driver app.
Feature
Load-Based Pricing
Add per-item tire surcharges to your load-based booking flow so customers see exact costs and your crew never absorbs hidden disposal fees.
Regulatory
Waste Hauler Permits
Understand general solid-waste hauler registration requirements that apply alongside your tire-specific transporter permit in most states.
Regulatory
Hazardous Materials Guide
Learn how to handle other regulated items you encounter on junk removal jobs — paint, batteries, electronics, and chemical products.
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