5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Whatcom County, Washington.
Verified from official government sources
County code tells you where to set carts — the improved public road nearest your home on collection day — but imposes no screen-from-the-street storage rule in unincorporated Whatcom County. Overflowing or long-standing carts can still be cited as a litter nuisance, and HOAs are often stricter.
Whatcom County Code 8.10
Materials shall be collected on the improved public road nearest to the residence (or mutually agreed upon location) when properly set out on the designated collection day.
Unincorporated Whatcom County has no single blight ordinance; it reaches neglected property through separate tools — litter control (WCC 8.28), the junk-vehicle nuisance code (WCC 8.32), and health-code abatement. The City of Bellingham enforces its own nuisance code (BMC 10.28) within city limits.
Whatcom County Code 8.28.100
It is a Class 1 civil infraction as defined in RCW 7.80.120 for a person to litter or allow improper disposal in an amount greater than one cubic foot. Unless suspended or modified by a court, the person shall also pay a litter cleanup fee of $25.00 per cubic foot of litter.
Vacant-lot owners in unincorporated Whatcom County must keep the parcel clear of dumped garbage and control state-listed noxious weeds. Illegal dumping is barred by county litter control (WCC 8.28.080), and the Whatcom County Noxious Weed Control Board enforces weed duties under RCW 17.10.
Whatcom County Code 8.28.080
It shall be unlawful for any person to dump or deposit or permit the dumping or depositing of any solid waste or dangerous waste onto or under the surface of the ground or into the waters of this county except at a solid waste or dangerous waste disposal site for which there is a valid permit.
Unincorporated Whatcom County has no sidewalk-shoveling ordinance, and most rural roads have no sidewalks anyway. Inside Bellingham it is different: the city plows streets but says snow and ice on public walkways is the sole responsibility of the abutting property owner or tenant.
City of Bellingham Public Works, Snow and Ice Removal
The City does not provide snow and ice control for driveways or public walkways. Snow and ice control for these areas is the sole responsibility of the abutting property owner or tenant.
Neither unincorporated Whatcom County nor Bellingham has a garage-sale-specific maintenance rule. Sales fall under general standards: keep the display tidy, don't let unsold goods pile up where they read as dumped garbage, and take temporary signs down and out of the road right-of-way when the sale ends.
1 cities in Whatcom County have their own property maintenance rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
See every category we cover for Whatcom County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Whatcom County Ordinance Hub →