Revised On: March 14, 2024 - 3:07 p.m.

What Are Considered Waste/Used Tire Facilities?

Waste/used tire facilities are categorized by the number and type of tires stored on the site. There are two types of tires:

1. Waste tires¹ are a motor vehicle tires that are no longer suitable for their originally intended purpose due to wear, damage, improper repair or manufacturer recall.
2. Used tires² include any tires that have been used for more than one day on a motor vehicle.

Waste/used tire facility rules are enforced by ADEQ's Waste Tire Compliance/Enforcement Program. The program is primarily involved with waste/used tire disposal activities relating to complaints, inspections and enforcement actions.

If you suspect improper storage or disposal of waste tires, contact the Solid/Hazardous Waste Complaint Line at 602-771-4673.

Facilities Subject to Best Management Practices (BMPs):

• Waste Tire Collection Site (500 – 5,000 waste tires)³
• Outdoor Used Tire Collection Site (≥ 100 used tires)⁴
  
  

If you have one of these facilities, the following applies:

• Must register as a Waste Tire Collection Site using the Outdoor Used Tire Sites or Waste Tire Collection Sites Registration Form | View/Download >
• No tire is stored for more than 12 months (Note: Counties and municipalities are not subject to this time-limit restriction)​
  
  

Facilities Requiring Self-Certification:

• Waste Tire Facility (≥ 5,000 waste tires)
• Waste tire shredding and processing facilities
  
  

If you have one of these facilities, the following applies:⁵

• Must self-certify by completing the Solid Waste Facilities Requiring Self-Certification Registration Form | View/Download >
• No tire is stored for more than 12 months (Note: Counties and municipalities are not subject to this time-limit restriction)
  
  

Facilities Requiring Solid Waste Facility Plan Approval

A site where 500 or more waste tires are stored on any day and any tire is stored for more than 12 months requires solid waste facility plan approval.⁵ Waste tire collection sites owned by counties and municipalities are not subject to plan approval.

Tire Storage Regulations 

Sites that store more than 100 used tires outside on any day must comply with statute,6 which states that it is unlawful to store 100 or more used motor vehicle tires⁷ outdoors:

• In any fashion that exceeds 20 feet in height
• In a pile that is more than 150 feet from a 20-foot-wide access route that allows fire control apparatus to approach the pile (access routes must be free of accumulations of rubbish, equipment or other materials and spaced so that a maximum grid system unit of 50 feet by 150 feet is maintained)
• Within 3 feet of any property line
• In any fashion that exceeds 6 feet in height if the used tires are stored between 3 and 10 feet of any property line
• Within 50 feet of any area in which smoking of tobacco or any other substance by persons is permitted ("No smoking" signs must be posted in conspicuous locations)
• In any area where electrical wiring, fixtures or appliances do not comply with the national electrical code
• Without placing class "2A-10BC" type fire extinguishers at well-marked points throughout the storage area so that the travel distance from any point in the storage area to a fire extinguisher is not more than 75 feet
• Without prior registration of the site with ADEQ
  
  

A person who knowingly discards or abandons 500 or more motor vehicle tires, discards or abandons any motor vehicle tires for commercial purposes (except as provided in section 44-1304) or otherwise knowingly performs any act prohibited by Subsection A of this section is guilty of a Class 5 felony.

Mining Tires

Mining industry off-road motor vehicle waste tires may be disposed of by burial at a mining facility in accordance with local and state regulations.⁸

County Collection Locations

Each county in Arizona provides a waste tire collection site (WTCS) that accepts tires from residents of that county. County WTCS may offer to accept a limited number of waste tires per year from each resident at no cost. Contact the appropriate county waste tire coordinator for the hours of operation and location of the WTCS in your county | WTCS by County >

Compliance Assistance

Common waste/used tire facility violations and how to prevent them | View >

¹Defined per Arizona Revised Statues (A.R.S.) § 44-1301 (6)
²Defined in Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) R18-13-1212 (C)(1)
³Waste tire collection site is defined in A.R.S. § 44-1301 (7) as a site where waste tires are collected before being offered for recycling or reuse and where more than 500 tires are kept on site on any day
⁴Outdoor is defined in A.A.C. R18-13-1212(C)(2)
⁵Per A.R.S. § 49-762 
⁶A.R.S. § 44-1304.01
⁷Used motor vehicle tires does not include tires that have been recapped and have not yet been put back into service
⁸Per A.R.S. § 44-1304(C) and A.A.C. Title 18, Chapter 13, Article 12