Dare County schedules one-pass large-item pickup for unincorporated areas starting March 23

Dare County announced a one-pass large-item pickup for unincorporated areas that will begin Monday, March 23, 2026, and is expected to continue for approximately 12 to 15 days. The county said residents in eligible unincorporated areas should place items at the roadside before March 23; items set out after collections begin may not be picked up.

The program covers unincorporated areas of Dare County, including Martins's Point, Collington Island, unincorporated areas of Rowan Oak Island, mainland Dare County and the southern beaches. Incorporated towns are not included; residents in those towns were instructed to contact their municipalities for local pickup options.

Accepted items listed by the county include used automobile tires, radiators, scrap metal such as rims and motor parts, appliances (with doors removed), furniture, mattresses and box springs. The county said all items must be sorted into separate piles by type. Pickup dates for specific areas will be determined by the contractor and cannot be scheduled in advance, the announcement said.

Items that will not be collected include clothing and shoes, cardboard, yard debris such as limbs, leaves or stumps, construction or demolition materials, boats, trailers or “dead skis,” propane tanks or fire extinguishers, hazardous materials and regular household trash. The county advised that if an item is not collected it has been rejected and must be disposed of by the resident.

Residents were also told to ensure placed items do not block trash bins, fire hydrants, water meters, mailboxes or overhead power lines. For more information about large-item pickup or other public works services, the county directed residents to its website: dare.gov/publicworks.

The announcement did not include a neighborhood-by-neighborhood schedule; residents should watch county notices for the contractor-assigned pickup dates for their area.