Rock Island County, IL Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 52.03, County Code
- Minimum removal frequency
- At least once every two weeks
- Zoning exception
- Authorized junk or salvage yards only
- Responsible party
- Owner, tenant, or agent
- Maximum fine
- $500 per day
Summary
In unincorporated Rock Island County, refuse cannot pile up on any building or lot except licensed junk or salvage yards, and § 52.03 sets a floor on how often it must go: at least once every two weeks. Owners, tenants, and their agents share the legal duty to bag or bin it and get it off the property on that schedule.
No person shall cause or permit refuse to accumulate in any building or on any property, improved or vacant, public or private, within the county, except such properties or facilities which are zoned as authorized junk yards or salvage yards by the County Zoning Department. The occupant, tenant, owner, or his or her agent, of any building or property shall be responsible for placing all refuse in containers, as prescribed in § 52.05, and for subsequent removal from such property. No person shall remove the covers from or open refuse containers, except as permitted in this subchapter, or to place or disturb such containers so as their contents might be spilled or scattered. Refuse shall be removed from any building or property not less than once every two weeks.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-1: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 2024-12-A, passed 12-17-2024; and State legislation current through 2024 Illinois Legislative Service, Pamphlet #6).
Full Breakdown
03 prohibits anyone from causing or permitting refuse to accumulate in any building or on any property, improved or vacant, public or private, in the unincorporated county, with one narrow carve-out for parcels the County Zoning Department has authorized as junk yards or salvage yards. 05 and see that it is subsequently removed. The section sets a concrete floor on removal frequency: refuse must be taken from the building or property not less than once every two weeks, which functions as the county's baseline collection schedule even though it does not name a specific hauler or route day.
The same section bars anyone from removing container lids or disturbing containers in a way that lets the contents spill or scatter, tying container discipline to the removal timetable. 27 for further rules on accumulation of garbage and its removal. Because the county government's authority runs only to unincorporated territory, this two-week floor governs county land outside the cities and villages; incorporated municipalities such as Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline set their own collection contracts and schedules.
Violations & Fines
Letting refuse sit longer than the two-week removal window, or otherwise violating § 52.03, is a petty offense under § 52.99(B) punishable by a fine of not more than $500, and each day the excess accumulation continues is charged as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often must refuse be removed from a property in unincorporated Rock Island County?
Who is legally responsible for getting trash off a rental property on schedule?
Are junk yards exempt from the accumulation rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rock Island County
Compare Rock Island County to another location·View the Illinois trash & recycling overview
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