Gainesville Is Moving Trash & Stormwater Charges to Property Tax Bills: What Rental Owners and Tenants Need to Know

If your Gainesville TRIM notice looked a little different this year, you're not imagining things.

Beginning October 1, 2026, the City of Gainesville is changing the way it collects residential solid waste and stormwater charges.

For years, Gainesville residents have been accustomed to seeing these charges on their monthly Gainesville Regional Utilities bill. Going forward, they will instead appear on the property owner's annual property tax bill as non-ad valorem assessments.

And if you own a rental property, this small accounting change creates a surprisingly big question:

What happens when a utility expense normally paid by the tenant suddenly gets billed to the landlord?

First: this isn't simply a new property tax

This is probably the biggest source of confusion surrounding the new TRIM notices.

Gainesville isn't simply taking an existing property-tax rate and adding trash and stormwater to it.

Instead, the City is changing the collection method for services residents were already paying for.

Through September 30, 2026, Gainesville residents will continue paying their solid waste and stormwater charges through GRU. Beginning October 1, those charges will be funded through annual assessments billed to the property owner.

The City specifically says there is no overlap between the two billing periods, so residents should not be charged twice for the same period of service. 

So why are rental owners concerned?

Because rentals don't always work like owner-occupied homes.

In a typical Gainesville rental, the landlord pays the real estate taxes while the tenant establishes utilities and pays for services associated with occupying the home.

Until now, Gainesville's billing system generally followed that arrangement.

The tenant opened their GRU account. Trash and stormwater appeared on that utility bill. The tenant paid the bill.

Now Gainesville is putting those charges on a bill that legally goes to the property owner.

The service hasn't changed.

The person creating the trash hasn't changed.

The stormwater system hasn't changed.

The person receiving the bill has.

That's the part landlords and property managers now have to work through.

How much are we talking about?

Gainesville's published solid-waste assessments beginning October 1, 2026 are based upon the property's garbage-cart size:

• 20-gallon cart: $368.18 annually
• 35-gallon cart: $391.58 annually
• 64-gallon cart: $436.81 annually
• 96-gallon cart: $486.73 annually

The City says the assessment pays for garbage collection and disposal as well as recycling, yard waste, bulk waste and the administration of those services. 

Stormwater is separate.

The City's published stormwater assessment is $150.65 per Equivalent Residential Unit, commonly called an ERU. One ERU represents approximately 2,300 square feet of impervious area.

Single-family homes are generally assessed one ERU, duplexes two ERUs, while apartment complexes, condominiums, commercial properties and other general properties can be calculated based upon measured impervious area. 

That means a typical Gainesville single-family rental with a 64-gallon trash cart could have approximately $587.46 per year, or roughly $49 per month, in combined trash and stormwater expenses.

For an investor with ten properties, that suddenly moves almost $5,900 of annual operating expenses onto the owner's tax bills.

That's why landlords are paying attention.

Can landlords simply charge tenants for it?

This is where the answer becomes: read the lease.

Changing where the City sends a bill does not automatically rewrite an existing rental agreement.

If an existing lease clearly establishes that the resident is responsible for trash, refuse, stormwater or applicable utility/service charges, there may already be language addressing the expense.

If it doesn't, landlords should be very careful about adding a new charge in the middle of an existing fixed-term lease.

For future leases and renewals, we expect Gainesville rental agreements to become much more specific about these assessments.

At KNR, we believe the cleanest long-term approach is to identify these as what they really are: resident utility/service costs that happen to be collected from the owner.

Rather than handing a tenant a $500 or $600 bill once a year, properties may be better served by spreading the applicable assessment across the lease term as a monthly utility reimbursement.

The key is having the lease establish that arrangement before the charge is imposed.

There's another wrinkle: your garbage cart

This may actually be the more annoying part of the transition.

Gainesville uses a "pay-as-you-throw" system, meaning smaller garbage carts cost less than larger ones.

The City currently publishes four sizes ranging from a 20-gallon mini cart to a 96-gallon cart. 

That makes perfect sense when the resident receiving the GRU bill can choose their own cart.

But because the new solid-waste assessment is attached to the property, Gainesville currently says only property owners can request a garbage-cart size change.

For rental properties, that's cumbersome.

The tenant knows how much trash their household produces. The landlord may live hundreds of miles away and have no idea whether a home needs a 35-gallon or 96-gallon cart.

For professionally managed homes, we hope Gainesville ultimately creates a process allowing authorized property managers to make these changes on an owner's behalf.

Until then, rental owners and property managers will have to coordinate those requests with residents.

What tenants should know

If you're renting in Gainesville, this change does not mean garbage pickup is ending or that you suddenly have to pay property taxes.

Garbage collection, recycling, yard waste, bulk collection and stormwater services are continuing as normal. 

It simply means your landlord will now receive the bill for services that may previously have appeared on your GRU account.

Whether and how that expense is reimbursed by you will depend upon your rental agreement.

If you want a different-sized garbage cart, check with your landlord or property manager before making the request because Gainesville's current process requires owner involvement.

What Gainesville rental owners should do now

Don't panic when you see the TRIM notice—and don't immediately pass the entire increase along to your tenant.

Separate the City's solid waste and stormwater assessments from the rest of the tax bill and determine exactly what you're looking at.

Then review your lease.

For leases coming up for renewal, this is a good time to update the utility language so everyone understands who pays the assessment and how it will be collected.

And if your property is professionally managed, talk to your property manager about how they intend to handle the reimbursement and garbage-cart process.

This is one of those changes that will probably feel much less dramatic a year from now, once owners, tenants, property managers and the City have had time to work through the details.

Right now, though, there are going to be questions—and that's understandable.

KNR Property Management will continue following Gainesville's implementation and updating our owners and residents as the process develops.

Why are trash and stormwater charges showing on Gainesville property tax bills?
Beginning October 1, 2026, the City of Gainesville is moving residential solid waste and stormwater charges from monthly GRU utility bills to annual non-ad valorem assessments billed to the property owner.

Are Gainesville trash and stormwater assessments new taxes?
No. These are charges for existing City services that were previously collected through GRU bills. The primary change is how the charges are collected.

Can a Gainesville landlord charge a tenant for trash and stormwater assessments?
That depends on the rental agreement. Landlords should review the lease to determine whether the tenant is responsible for trash, stormwater, utilities, or similar service charges before adding a reimbursement charge.

Who can change the trash cart size at a Gainesville rental property?
Under Gainesville's current process, the property owner must request a garbage-cart size change. Tenants renting a professionally managed home should contact their landlord or property manager if they need a different cart.

Will Gainesville garbage pickup change?
No. Garbage, recycling, yard waste and related collection services will continue. The primary change is the billing method.

Those FAQs also give you a very good shot at being surfaced for searches like “why is Gainesville trash on my property tax bill?” or “can my Gainesville landlord charge me for garbage?”