Carteret County, NC Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Sec. 14-22 of the Carteret County Code makes it unlawful for any person to throw, dump or cause to be dumped garbage, refuse, rubbish, litter, junk, junk mail, plastic wrappers, newspapers, appliances, cans, bottles, lumber, building materials, trees, tree limbs, brush or other solid waste anywhere in the unincorporated area of the county, except with the express written authorization of the Board of Commissioners. Sec. 14-5(c)(2) sets a civil penalty schedule specifically for illegal dumping, defined to include dumping prohibited materials or quantities in solid waste receptacles, the transfer station, or unapproved areas: $50.00 for a first offense, $100.00 for a second, and $300.00 for each subsequent offense, higher than the general $25.00 to $100.00 schedule for other Chapter 14 violations.

Sec. 14-6(b) adds an evidentiary presumption: if dumped waste can be traced to a person through identifying material, that identification is prima facie evidence that person disposed of it illegally. Beyond the civil track, Sec. 14-6(e) allows the county to prosecute illegal dumping as a misdemeanor under North Carolina General Statutes in addition to or instead of the civil fine, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense punishable by up to a $50.00 fine and up to 30 days imprisonment. Any resident may file a written complaint that the enforcement agency must record and investigate under Sec. 14-6(f).