Calvert County, MD Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited
- Depositing refuse creating pest/vector breeding grounds
- Applies to
- Developed and undeveloped land, occupied or vacant buildings
- First offense fine
- $100
- Third or later offense fine
- $500
- Enforced by
- Health Officer, with Circuit Court injunction available
Summary
Calvert County Code § 119-5 bars depositing refuse, or letting it accumulate, on any land or in or around any building in a way that could shelter breeding vectors, mosquitoes, insects, vermin or rats. The Health Officer enforces the ban, and § 119-24 fines violators $100 to $500 per conviction, with each day a separate offense.
No person shall deposit refuse on any land, developed or undeveloped, or in, under or outside any building, occupied or unoccupied, or permit the accumulation of refuse on his own premises in a manner that may provide harborage or breeding places for vectors, mosquitoes, other insects, vermin or rats. ... ... A. Any person convicted of any violation of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined $100 for the first conviction; $250 for a second conviction; $500 for a third conviction. For the purposes of this section, each day that a violation exists may be considered a separate offense.
Full Breakdown
Section 119-5 prohibits depositing refuse on any land, developed or undeveloped, or in, under or outside any building, occupied or unoccupied, and separately bars letting refuse accumulate on one's own premises in a way that could provide harborage or breeding places for vectors, mosquitoes, other insects, vermin or rats. The same chapter's litter provision bars dumping near the county's own disposal points: § 119-17(B) prohibits littering or depositing refuse on the ground in the vicinity of a compactor receptacle, and § 119-7 separately bars putting hazardous waste in a public litter receptacle or Green Box.
The Health Officer, or a designee, is charged with enforcing Chapter 119 (§ 119-23) and may bring a Circuit Court action to abate a violating condition, with the court empowered to enjoin the continuance of the violation irrespective of other legal remedies (§ 119-24(B)). Section 119-1 makes the chapter, and this dumping ban, apply throughout Calvert County, expressly including incorporated towns as well as the unincorporated area, so the same prohibition reaches Chesapeake Beach and North Beach. A person who has submitted a Health Officer-approved compliance plan, and is following it, is not considered in violation while good-faith negotiations or compliance continue (§ 119-22).
Violations & Fines
Illegal dumping under § 119-5 is a misdemeanor punishable by $100 for a first conviction, $250 for a second, and $500 for a third, with every day the violating condition exists countable as a separate offense (§ 119-24(A)). The Circuit Court may also issue an injunction ordering the condition abated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dumping refuse on vacant land illegal in Calvert County?
What are the penalties for illegal dumping?
Who investigates illegal dumping complaints?
Does the dumping ban apply in Chesapeake Beach and North Beach?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Calvert County
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