Washington County, WI Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Washington County Code § 172-15 makes it a citable offense, punishable by a forfeiture of not more than $500, to do any of four things: deposit or discharge solid waste on or along any highway, in the waters of the state, on the ice of state waters, or on any other public or private property; permit solid waste to be thrown from a vehicle the person is operating; fail to remove, within 30 days, or otherwise abandon an automobile, boat or other vehicle in the waters of the state; or deposit solid waste into a refuse container on private property without permission.

The section borrows its definitions of "highway," "vehicle" and "waters of the state" directly from the Wisconsin Statutes. Two exceptions apply: placing waste into a receptacle designed for solid waste and intended for public use is not a violation of the deposit or private-container prohibitions, and the section does not apply to discharges made in conformance with Wis. Stats. Chs. 30, 31 or 283 or under a Department of Natural Resources permit, license or other approval issued under those chapters, covering, for example, permitted stormwater or wastewater discharges.

The littering ban sits in Chapter 172, Peace and Good Order, and dumping on Washington County Fair Park grounds or county parks can additionally trigger the litter provisions of § 179-7B(10), which bars leaving, throwing or breaking bottles, boxes or refuse anywhere on county public grounds except in marked receptacles.