Burien, WA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Burien Municipal Code § 8.45.020(5)(c)(viii)
- Definition
- Dumping on property not registered as a legal dump site
- Waterways
- Separate nuisance under item (ix)
- Civil penalty default
- $125.00 first, $250.00 repeat or continuing
- Response deadline
- 14 days from service of the notice
- Cost recovery
- Bill due 30 days after date, includes hauling and disposal
Summary
In the City of Burien, Washington, BMC 8.45.020(5)(c)(viii) treats dumping of any type on public or private property not registered as a legal dump site as a nuisance. Dumping in waterways is a separate nuisance, and enforcement runs through Chapter 1.15 with daily penalties and cost recovery.
(5) “Nuisance” (also referred to herein as “violation” or “nuisance violation”) means: ... (c) The existence, without limitation, of any of the following conditions: ... (viii) Illegal Dumping. Dumping of any type by any person on public or private property not registered as a legal dump site; and (ix) Dumping in Waterways. Dumping, depositing, placing or leaving of any garbage, ashes, debris, gravel, earth, rock, stone or other material upon the banks, channels, beds or bars of any navigable water; or the felling of any tree or trees, so that the same shall in whole or in part project within the high water bank of any navigable watercourse; or the casting, placing, depositing or leaving of any logs, roots, snags, stumps or brush upon the banks or in the bed or channel of any navigable watercourse.
Full Breakdown
Burien does not use a separate illegal dumping chapter. The rule sits in the nuisance chapter, BMC 8.45, where BMC 8.45.020(5)(c)(viii) lists "Illegal Dumping" as a nuisance condition: dumping of any type by any person on public or private property not registered as a legal dump site. Item (ix) adds dumping in waterways: dumping, depositing, placing or leaving garbage, ashes, debris, gravel, earth, rock, stone or other material upon the banks, channels, beds or bars of any navigable water, plus felling trees or leaving logs, roots, snags, stumps or brush in a navigable watercourse.
BMC 8.45.015 declares all violations of Burien ordinances to be nuisances, and each day a person allows or fails to abate a nuisance after notice is a separate violation. BMC 8.45.070 sends enforcement to Chapter 1.15 BMC.
Under BMC 1.15.120(2), a code enforcement officer can issue a notice of civil violation. The default maximum penalty is $125.00 for a first violation and $250.00 for a second or subsequent violation or a continuing violation past a deadline, accruing for each day or portion thereof, and the city can waive it if the correction is completed by the date in the notice. The responsible person must answer within 14 days by paying, entering a voluntary correction agreement, requesting a mitigation hearing with a $100.00 filing fee, or contesting the notice (BMC 1.15.130).
Cleanup costs fall on the violator. BMC 1.15.200(2) lets the city bill its costs of abating a violation, including hauling, storage and disposal expenses, due 30 days after the bill. Unpaid penalties or costs can be assessed against the property and certified to the county treasurer, and BMC 1.15.210(2) allows summary abatement without prior notice when a violation poses an immediate threat to public health, safety or welfare or to the environment.
Related sections: BMC 9.65.100 adopts King County Code 12.36.010, dumping trash in waterways prohibited, and BMC 9.65.200 adopts RCW 70.93.060, littering. In city parks, BMC 7.30.040 bans littering and BMC 7.30.300 bars dumping in water.
Violations & Fines
Enforcement is by notice of civil violation under BMC 1.15.120, with a default maximum of $125.00 first and $250.00 repeat or continuing, accruing daily. Under BMC 1.15.080, the city can instead charge a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both, and each day of a continuing violation is a separate offense. The violator also owes abatement costs under BMC 1.15.200(2).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is illegal dumping a nuisance in Burien?
What does Burien charge for illegal dumping?
Who pays for cleaning up dumped material in Burien?
Is dumping in a creek or on a shoreline treated differently?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Burien
Compare Burien to another location·View the Washington trash & recycling overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Illegal Dumping in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle illegal dumping.