Catoosa County, GA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Article III of Chapter 66, the county's litter control ordinance adopted May 25, 2006, makes it unlawful for any person or persons to dump, deposit, throw or leave or to cause or permit the dumping, depositing, placing, throwing or leaving of litter on any public or private property in Catoosa County or any waters within Catoosa County under Sec. 66-79, unless the property is a state-designated disposal site, the litter goes into an installed receptacle, or the person is the owner, tenant, or acting with the owner's consent.

Sec. 66-80 separately bans hauling an unsecured load on a motor vehicle if it can drop or shift litter onto county roadways. Sec. 66-81 sets the penalty and the evidence rules: litter thrown from a vehicle, boat or plane is prima facie evidence the operator violated the article, and litter found bearing a person's name creates a rebuttable presumption that person dumped it. A conviction is a misdemeanor punished by a fine of not less than $200.00 and not more than $1,000.00 per violation, plus reimbursement to Catoosa County for the reasonable cost of removing the litter when the county orders its removal.

The court may also order the violator to personally pick up and remove litter along up to one mile of public road or right-of-way, or from public or private property where evidence shows they dumped, and Sec. 66-81(3)(d) lets the court publish the names of people convicted.