Which states have PaintCare paint drop-off? (unofficial)

Hours, fees, and which states participate change. Confirm on the official page the morning you go. This page is unofficial and not the county. Not a hauler. Not PaintCare. This is the PaintCare-states explainer — MoCo leftover-paint and latex-vs-oil are different lookups. We do not scrape or clone the PaintCare store database.

In a PaintCare state — or not?

1. 1

   Yes — my state (or DC) is in the PaintCare list below?

   PaintCare locator · free drop-off

   Use the PaintCare drop-off site locator (blue flags). Call the site ahead. Free drop-off for accepted architectural coatings. State programs are for people based in that state (PaintCare FAQs). This page does not list retail addresses.

2. 2

   No — my state is not in PaintCare?

   Local HHW · county rules

   PaintCare FAQs / locator: non-PaintCare states show nearest local household hazardous waste (HHW) programs and events (gray flags). Or contact your local government waste authority. Dry-and-trash rules for latex, oil-based paths, hours, and caps: not stated on this page for other counties — confirm your local official page. Do not invent them here.

3. 3

   Maryland / Montgomery County resident?

   PaintCare MD · plus MoCo HHW

   Maryland is a PaintCare state (program began April 2026). Use the locator for retail / partner sites. You also have Shady Grove HHW / Paint Giveaway options — see leftover paint (MoCo geo) and latex vs oil. Wet HHW paint cap and residency rules live on those pages; this page does not restate inventable county hours.

4. 4

   Spray / aerosol, solvent, leaking, unlabeled, or empty can?

   Not PaintCare · local HHW / trash rules

   PaintCare sites do not accept aerosol coatings, solvents, leaking, unlabeled, or empty containers. Full spray-paint path is queue #15 later — not expanded here. For MoCo aerosols with product left: see leftover-paint / latex-vs-oil (HHW path).

5. 5

   100+ gallons of architectural paint?

   PaintCare Large Volume Pickup

   PaintCare offers Large Volume Pickup for 100+ gallons (counted by container size). Free service funded by the PaintCare fee. Request via PaintCare — not this site.

Do not pour paint down a drain, storm sewer, or as liquid in household trash. Last-checked 9 Sep 2026.

PaintCare jurisdictions

PaintCare’s states page: programs in twelve states and the District of Columbia. List below from that page (and the site nav). Launch dates for other jurisdictions: not stated on this fetch except Maryland. Last-checked 9 Sep 2026. Source: paintcare.org/paintcare-states.

Count: 12 states + DC = 13 jurisdictions. Source last-checked 9 Sep 2026.

What PaintCare typically accepts vs refuses

• Accepted (PaintCare products / architectural coatings): interior and exterior house paints (latex, acrylic, water-based, alkyd, oil-based, enamel); deck coatings and floor paints; primers, sealers, undercoaters; stains; shellacs, lacquers, varnishes, urethanes (single component); waterproofing concrete/masonry/wood sealers and repellents (not tar or bitumen-based); metal coatings / rust preventatives; field and lawn paints. Same products that carry the PaintCare fee when purchased. Source: products we accept. Last-checked 9 Sep 2026.
• Container rules: original manufacturer container and printed label; secured lid; no leaks; container no larger than 5 gallons. Pack cans in a sturdy cardboard box. Call ahead. Source: products page / FAQs / drop-off page. Last-checked 9 Sep 2026.
• Not accepted: paint thinners, mineral spirits, solvents; aerosol coatings; auto and marine paints; art and craft paints; caulk, epoxies, glues, adhesives; paint additives / colorants / tints / resins; wood preservatives containing pesticides; roof patch; asphalt, tar, bitumen-based products; 2-component coatings; deck cleaners; traffic / road marking paints; industrial maintenance coatings; OEM / shop-application paints. Also: leaking, empty, or unlabeled containers. Source: products we accept / drop-off locator notes. Last-checked 9 Sep 2026.
• Per-visit volume: all sites accept at least 5 gallons per visit; some take more — call the site. Source: drop-off sites page. Last-checked 9 Sep 2026.
• Dry / rock-hard paint: FAQs prefer not to receive it (no recycle tech for rock-hard); rock-hard can often go in trash with lid off so collectors can see it is dry — except California, where placing dried paint in the trash is prohibited and it can be dropped at PaintCare sites. Last-checked 9 Sep 2026.

Find a site (locator only)

Open PaintCare drop-off site locator

Blue flags = PaintCare partner sites in program states. Gray flags = non-PaintCare-state HHW listings. Confirm hours and whether the site can take your type and amount. This page does not scrape or list store addresses. Last-checked 9 Sep 2026.

Where to go (program info — not a store list)

Bring this

• PaintCare: original manufacturer container and label, secured lid, no leaks, container ≤5 gallons. Pack cans in a sturdy cardboard box. Call the site ahead.
• Be based in the PaintCare state whose sites you use (FAQs). DC may ask for proof of residency.
• For Montgomery County HHW / Paint Giveaway instead of (or in addition to) PaintCare: proof of residency and the geo rules on leftover paint — not restated inventably here.

Not here

• A scraped list of PaintCare retail stores (use the locator).
• Invented hours, fees, star ratings, or “we tested” claims for non-PaintCare counties.
• PaintCare: aerosol coatings, solvents, leaking, unlabeled, or empty containers.
• Full spray-paint / aerosol page (queue #15 — brief note only here).
• Impersonating PaintCare, MDE, or Montgomery County.
• Meds / sharps pages (YMYL — not this site).

Official sources

• PaintCare States (12 states + DC)
• PaintCare Maryland (began April 2026; fee schedule; 113 year-round sites; 42,900 gal collected estimate as of fetch)
• PaintCare drop-off site locator (link only — no scrape)
• PaintCare — products we accept
• PaintCare FAQs
• PaintCare fee page (state-by-state chart)