Often, yes. Most masonry rules for dumpster enclosures sit in a zoning or design code that also allows alternate equivalent screening, approved by a planning official or through site plan review. The building code has its own alternate materials path: IBC Section 104.11, renumbered 104.2.3 in the 2024 edition. A written request with sealed calculations, a fully opaque face and a building-matched finish lets the reviewer decide.
Can a steel dumpster enclosure be approved where the code says masonry?
Often it can, through an alternate materials request for the dumpster enclosure, because most codes that name masonry also say how to approve something else. The request goes to the official the code names, it shows that steel meets the purpose of the rule, and that official decides. Nothing about the process is automatic, and some reviewers will still say no.
The work is in knowing which rule you are up against. A masonry requirement is usually about appearance, opacity and durability, not structure. A steel enclosure that matches the building, hides the containers completely and is engineered for the site answers those purposes directly. The rest of this guide covers where the rule lives, what a submittal contains, and what to do if the answer is no.
Which code actually requires masonry: zoning or building?
In most places it is the zoning or development code, or a city's solid waste design standard, not the building code. Those documents regulate how the site looks and works, so they set the wall material, height, gate and location. The building code then reviews the enclosure as a structure: wind load, footings, anchorage and permit triggers.
That split matters because each code has its own relief path and its own decision-maker.
- Zoning, design or solid waste rules: relief comes from the ordinance's own alternate clause, an alternative compliance procedure, site plan review or, failing those, a variance. The planning or zoning official usually decides.
- Building code: relief comes from the alternative materials section, and the building official decides.
Some cities name both officials: the third example in the table below sends alternative designs to the public works director and the building official together. Ask early which office owns the material decision, and send the request there.
What do masonry clauses actually say?
They range from "masonry, with an alternate route written in" to "masonry only", and the wording tells you which path to take. The table shows four published examples. They are examples, not a survey, and each city's current document governs.
| What the rule says | Relief written into it | Path for a steel enclosure |
|---|---|---|
| A 6 ft solid masonry wall on at least three sides (one city's enclosure detail, revised 2021) | Alternate equivalent screening methods may be approved through the plan approval process | Ask for alternate equivalent screening in site plan review |
| Materials consistent with the principal structure, at least 6 ft, no wood (a second city's permit form, 2022) | Alternative materials approved by the zoning officer; the list includes finished masonry block and a steel deck with frame | Request zoning officer approval on the permit application |
| Masonry, chain link with vinyl slats, or wood, 5 to 6 ft (a third city's permit instructions, revised 2014) | Alternative designs submitted by the owner, approved by the public works director and the building official | Submit an alternative design to both officials |
| Wood, plastic lumber, masonry or concrete (a fourth city's requirements) | Metal fencing needs a product approval, and other designs need construction plans | Provide the product approval or the drawings the building division asks for |
Where a rule names masonry and offers no relief at all, an alternate request may still be heard, but the realistic routes are a variance or a code amendment. Some codes also ask for materials "consistent with" or matching the building, which is an appearance test that a matched finish can meet.
How does the building code's alternate materials section work?
It lets the building official approve a material or method the code does not specifically prescribe, if it is at least equivalent for its intended purpose. The section is 104.11 in the 2018 and 2021 International Building Code and was renumbered 104.2.3 in the 2024 edition, which split it into subsections (one city's 2024 vs 2018 IBC comparison). Check which edition your jurisdiction has adopted, and cite that edition's number.
What the 2024 text asks for
- Written request: where required, the request goes to the building official in writing, and a denial must be answered in writing with the reasons (104.2.3.2).
- Code intent: the alternative must meet the intent of the code (104.2.3.3).
- Equivalency: at least equivalent in quality, strength, effectiveness, durability, safety and fire safety, as applicable (104.2.3.4).
- Supporting data: tests, an evaluation report, or a report by a qualified engineer; the official may require the stamp of a registered design professional (104.2.3.5 and 104.2.3.6).
- Peer review: the official may require one (104.2.3.7).
Where it stops
The alternative materials section cannot waive a requirement the code specifically prescribes. One city's building department puts it plainly: the mechanism for that is a code modification (city alternative material requirements, revised 2026). And because masonry rules for enclosures are usually zoning rules, the building section alone rarely settles the question. Structural steel designed to recognized standards is normal plan review for the building official. The material question is usually the planning reviewer's.
What goes in an alternate materials submittal for a steel dumpster enclosure?
A good submittal answers each purpose behind the masonry rule with a document, so the reviewer can check the request against the code's own criteria. Keep it short and specific to the site.
| Item | What it shows the reviewer |
|---|---|
| Cover letter citing the clause | The exact section and edition you are applying under, the rule being met, and how |
| Site plan and layout drawing | Location, footprint, gate swing and hauler access, drawn to the site |
| Sealed structural calculations | Strength: wind design to ASCE 7-22 for the site, steel per AISC 360, anchorage per ACI 318 Chapter 17 |
| Slab and base-plate requirements | How the enclosure is founded, for the engineer designing the slab |
| Elevations and a color sample | Opacity and appearance: the solid face and the finish chosen to match the building |
| Material and finish data | Durability: steel grade, galvanizing and powder coat standard |
| Photos of installed enclosures | What the finished product looks like in service |
For Alpine Citadel, the facts behind those items are fixed. The system is structural steel throughout, ASTM A36 or equivalent, with no aluminum components, and hardware is typically Grade 8 and 316 stainless steel. The standard solid-slat face is 100% opaque. The steel is galvanized, then powder coated to Qualicoat standards with UV-resistant superdurable polyester powder, in any RAL color on request. It is noncombustible steel construction, and it comes in standard heights of 6, 7 and 8 ft.
Alpine Citadel is accepted in the majority of jurisdictions for trash enclosures and general enclosure systems. Where a code names masonry, Alpine provides an alternate-materials submittal with sealed calculations and a building-matched finish. Sealed calculations are available in all 50 states, and each project is engineered to ASCE 7-22 for its own site. The steel and CMU comparison covers the practical differences a reviewer may ask about.
When should you ask for alternate materials approval?
Ask before the site plan is submitted, ideally at the pre-application meeting. A material question raised in the first review comment costs a resubmittal cycle. Raised at pre-application, it costs a conversation.
- Find the rule: the zoning section, design standard or solid waste standard that names masonry.
- Read it for an alternate clause, and note who approves under it.
- Ask that office whether it will consider steel, and what it wants to see.
- Submit in writing, citing the clause, with the package above.
- Get the decision in writing, and make sure the approved drawings show the steel enclosure.
The guide to dumpster enclosure requirements covers the other rules the same submittal must meet, such as height, gates and hauler access.
What if the reviewer says no?
Ask for the reasons in writing, then decide whether to fix the objection, seek a variance, or build masonry. The 2024 building code requires written reasons for a denial; for a planning decision, ask for them. The reason usually points to the fix.
- Appearance: change the color, add a matched finish sample, or adjust height.
- Durability or impact: add bollards inside the enclosure and explain the finish system.
- "Masonry only": a variance is usually a board hearing with its own findings, so weigh the schedule against the benefit.
Masonry is still the right answer in some cases: where the ordinance allows no alternative, where the enclosure is part of a masonry building wall, or where the design review board wants the enclosure in the same masonry as the building. The comparison of dumpster enclosure materials sets out the trade-offs.
How do multi-site programs handle masonry rules?
Programs treat the masonry question as a known step rather than a surprise. A national brand's construction team and its prototype architect can keep one submittal package, a log of each jurisdiction's rule and decision, and a masonry fallback detail in the prototype set. The site civil engineer asks the material question at pre-application and files the package where the code allows it.
Alpine supports programs with per-site engineering and kits organized by site and release, with 70+ locations installed, including 60+ for a multi-state tire and automotive service brand. The guide to a multi-site trash enclosure standard shows how to build the masonry question into the prototype.
Next step
If a project's code names masonry, send the site plan, the local rule and the architect's enclosure drawing through request a quote. Alpine will review the clause with you and prepare the alternate-materials submittal for the reviewer.
Sources
- City of Tucson, 2024 International Building Code comparison to 2018 edition, Chapters 1 through 8, 2024. City PDF.
- City of Phoenix Planning and Development, Alternative Material, Design, or Method Requirements, revised 2026. City PDF.
- City of Wilmer, Dumpster Enclosure Detail and Specifications, revised 2021. City PDF.
- City of Rockford Planning and Zoning, Dumpster Enclosure Permit (Zoning Form 30), 2022. City PDF.
- City of North Miami, Dumpster Enclosures: Permit Instructions, revised 2014. City PDF.
- City of Hollywood, Dumpster Enclosure Requirements, read 2026. City web page.