Alachua County, FL Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Core dumping ban
- Alachua County Code § 75.201(d)
- Covers
- Rights-of-way, waters, sinkholes, vacant lots, others' property
- Max fine
- $500.00 per § 10.08
- Max jail time
- 60 days per § 10.08
- Enforcing statute for misdemeanor track
- F.S. § 125.69
Summary
Alachua County Code § 75.201(d) bans throwing, placing, or depositing any solid waste onto rights-of-way, streets, alleys, waters, sinkholes, vacant lots, or another person's property anywhere in the county. Violations are enforced through Chapter 24 code enforcement and carry the Code's general penalty under § 10.08: up to a $500.00 fine, up to 60 days in jail, or both, plus possible misdemeanor prosecution under F.S. § 125.69.
(d)No person shall throw, place, or deposit, or cause to be thrown, placed, or deposited, any solid waste of any kind into or on any of the public rights-of-way, streets, roads, highways, bridges, alleys, lanes, thoroughfares, waters, canals, sink-holes, other geological formations, or vacant lots or lands, or upon the premises of any other person within the county.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 63).
Full Breakdown
201, in Chapter 75's Article II (Regulation of Disposal of Solid Waste in County), lists the county's prohibited-acts framework for illegal dumping. Subsection (d) is the core dumping ban: no person may throw, place, or deposit, or cause to be thrown, placed, or deposited, any solid waste of any kind onto public rights-of-way, streets, roads, highways, bridges, alleys, lanes, thoroughfares, waters, canals, sinkholes, other geological formations, vacant lots or lands, or the premises of any other person within the county. The same section reaches related conduct: subsection (b) bars casting, sweeping, or depositing waste so that wind or weather can carry it onto a sidewalk, street, or public right-of-way; subsection (c) requires a resident to remove waste that has scattered from their own receptacle near the curb; subsection (f) bans dumping flammable liquids, explosives, or hazardous waste in any solid waste receptacle; and subsection (h) makes it unlawful to burn solid waste anywhere in unincorporated Alachua County under the state's air-pollution rules.
20, so a single illegal dumping incident involving discarded furniture or debris can be charged under either chapter depending on the material dumped. 502, while enforcement of the dumping prohibitions themselves runs through the county's general code enforcement mechanism, Chapter 24.
Violations & Fines
A violation of § 75.201's dumping prohibitions is enforced under Alachua County Code Chapter 24 and punished per § 75.501 and the Code's general penalty, § 10.08: upon conviction, a fine of up to $500.00, imprisonment in the county jail for up to 60 days, or both, with prosecution available as a misdemeanor under F.S. § 125.69. Penalties and fines collected accrue to the county's department of solid waste and resource recovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dumping trash on vacant land illegal in unincorporated Alachua County?
What is the penalty for illegal dumping in Alachua County?
Can I burn trash on my property instead of dumping it?
Who am I responsible to if waste blows out of my trash can onto the street?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alachua County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Alachua County to another location·View the Florida trash & recycling overview
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