Dumpster rental and junk removal in Big Bear City

Big Bear City is not the City of Big Bear Lake

Despite the name, Big Bear City is not a city. It is an unincorporated community of San Bernardino County with its own ZIP code, 92314, and its Census area covers about 32 square miles of land, far more than the town center along Big Bear Boulevard. Local services come from the Big Bear City Community Services District and the County, not a city hall.

For a dumpster job, the difference shows up in road rules. Roads here belong to San Bernardino County, to Caltrans (Highways 18 and 38) or to private owners, so the City of Big Bear Lake's street and snow-parking code does not apply. County and state rules do.

Year-round homes and bigger lots

Census estimates for 2020 to 2024 put Big Bear City's population at about 11,431, more than twice Big Bear Lake's, with about 12,487 housing units. About 55 percent of those units are seasonal or occasional-use homes, so the town is a real mix of full-timers and weekenders. The median home was built in 1978.

• Garage, shed and basement cleanouts for full-time households
• Kitchen, bath and flooring remodels in 1970s and 1980s homes
• Additions and outbuilding projects that throw off lumber and drywall scraps
• Clearing out a family home or a rental between tenants
• Brush, limbs and old fencing from overgrown lots (call or text before loading yard waste)

The County transfer station is on this side of the valley

The County's Big Bear Transfer Station is north of town at 38550 Holcomb Valley Road, about a mile and a half north of Baldwin Lake, on the site of the closed Big Bear landfill. The County lists it as open Monday to Saturday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, and closed on major holidays.

If you haul a small load there yourself, check the County's fee page first and cover the load. The County says uncovered or unsecured loads are charged double the disposal fee.

Placing the dumpster on County roads and Highways 18 and 38

The dumpster belongs on your driveway or lot. Putting anything in a County-maintained road right-of-way takes a County Transportation Encroachment Permit, and anything in the right-of-way of Highway 18 or 38 needs a Caltrans encroachment permit. We place the dumpster on private property by default, so neither applies.

In winter, the County works primary roads first, and County crews do not plow private roads. If you live on a private road, line up your own plowing before a delivery or pickup day. Not sure who plows your street? The County's snow removal page has the snowplow roads map. Under Caltrans R-1 chain controls, anything towing a trailer must chain a drive axle, so storms can move our schedule; we confirm every day by call or text.

Weed abatement and lot clearing

The Big Bear Fire Department handles defensible-space inspections across the valley, except Fawnskin. Its 2026 weed-abatement notices apply to vacant lots as well as homes, and it warns that a citation can come without a notice of violation first.

If the brush on your lot has gotten ahead of you, text a photo of what you have cut to (909) 284-4597. We will tell you what can go in a dumpster and whether a dumpster or a haul-away makes more sense.