Bellingham, WA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- BMC 10.60.140
- Applies to
- Open or vacant private property
- Applies even if
- Property owner did the dumping
- Penalty, up to 1 cu ft
- $50.00 civil infraction
- Penalty, over 1 cu ft
- $250.00 civil infraction
- Cleanup fee
- $25.00 per cubic foot
- Related duty
- Owners must keep all premises litter-free (BMC 10.60.130)
Summary
Bellingham bars anyone, including the owner, from throwing or depositing litter on open or vacant private property in the city. BMC 10.60.140 sits inside the city's litter control chapter, which also requires owners of any private property to keep their premises litter-free and sets tiered civil fines plus a per-cubic-foot cleanup charge.
10.60.140 Deposit on vacant lots prohibited. No person shall throw or deposit litter on any open or vacant private property within the city whether owned by such person or not. [Ord. 8573 § 15(U), 1977].
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-06-015, passed June 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
010), prohibits throwing or depositing litter on any open or vacant private property in the city, regardless of who owns it, meaning the property owner can be cited for someone else's dumping just as readily as an outside dumper can. 020 to mean garbage, refuse and rubbish plus any other waste material or unauthorized substance, including motor oil, antifreeze, paint or other petroleum-based products, or any solid material that creates a danger to public health, safety or welfare or a danger of pollution or environmental damage.
120, which bars depositing litter on occupied private property. 320, applies citywide including to vacant lots: any violation is a civil infraction, and where three or more discarded items bear the same person's name, the code creates a rebuttable presumption that person committed the littering.
Violations & Fines
Under BMC 10.60.320, violating any provision of Chapter 10.60, including the vacant-lot rule in BMC 10.60.140, is a civil infraction. Littering an amount of one cubic foot or less carries a default and maximum penalty of $50.00, not including statutory assessments; littering more than one cubic foot carries a default and maximum penalty of $250.00. The court also imposes a litter cleanup fee of $25.00 per cubic foot of litter, unless suspended or modified, and may order the violator to personally pick up and remove the litter with the property owner's permission in lieu of part or all of that fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I be cited if someone else dumps trash on my vacant lot?
What counts as litter under Bellingham's vacant lot rule?
How much is the fine for dumping on a vacant lot in Bellingham?
Does the city presume who dumped the litter?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bellingham
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