Pender County, NC Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)
Key Facts
- Removal deadline
- 7 days maximum outside a dwelling
- Governing section
- Pender County Code § 26-15(b)
- Enforcing agency
- Pender County Solid Waste Department
- Misdemeanor fine
- $50 to $500 per violation, G.S. § 14-4
- Civil penalty
- $50 to $500, recoverable as debt
- Exception
- Licensed junk dealers exempt from limit
- Drop-off site
- County convenience center per § 26-16(d)
Summary
In unincorporated Pender County, no owner, occupant, tenant or lessee may leave bulky waste like furniture or appliances outside a building or dwelling for more than seven days under County Code § 26-15(b). Once bulky waste sits past that limit, its presence alone is treated as evidence the resident is the responsible solid waste generator, and the Solid Waste Department can cite without further proof.
(b)A solid waste generator shall be responsible for the storage, collection, and disposal of solid waste in a manner that complies with the provisions of this chapter. No owner, occupant, or tenant or lessee of a building or dwelling place other than a licensed junk dealer, may place or leave or cause to be placed and left for longer than seven days outside a building or dwelling any bulky wastes. The presence of bulky waste bulky wastes in violation of this section shall be prima facie evidence that the owner, occupant, or tenant or lessee of the building or dwelling place is the solid waste generator and the responsible person with respect to the violation.
Full Breakdown
Pender County Code § 26-15(b) makes solid waste generators responsible for how bulky waste is stored, collected and disposed of on their property. No owner, occupant, tenant or lessee of a building or dwelling other than a licensed junk dealer may place or leave, or cause to be placed and left, any bulky waste outside a building or dwelling for longer than seven days. If bulky waste sits in violation of that seven-day limit, the code treats the presence of the waste itself as prima facie evidence that the owner, occupant, tenant or lessee is the solid waste generator and the person responsible for the violation, so the county does not need separate proof of who put it there.
Section 26-15(a) separately bars any responsible person from letting solid waste accumulate on a residence, commercial establishment or parcel in a way that becomes a nuisance, injures the health or welfare of nearby residents, or detracts from property values. For disposal, § 26-16(d) directs that items too large for a normal refuse receptacle be brought to a county convenience center and placed in the designated container; commercial haulers and waste generated outside the county cannot use the convenience centers under § 26-9(b). Apartment, mobile home park, townhouse and condominium owners carry the same seven-day responsibility for bulky waste from their units under § 26-15(e).
Violations & Fines
A bulky-waste violation of Article II is a misdemeanor under G.S. § 14-4, punishable by a fine of more than $50.00 but not more than $500.00 per violation under § 26-23(a). The county may instead or additionally pursue a civil penalty in the same $50 to $500 range, recoverable as a civil debt if unpaid, under § 26-23(b). Each day the bulky waste remains past the seven-day limit counts as a separate, continuing offense under § 26-23(d), and the county may seek an injunction or order of abatement under § 26-23(c).
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can I leave bulky waste like a couch outside my house in unincorporated Pender County?
Where do I take furniture or appliances too big for my trash can?
What happens if I don't remove bulky waste within seven days?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pender County
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