Charleston, WV Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Sec. 98-2 bars disposing of any refuse or waste matter, solid or liquid, including animal carcasses, excrement, offal, hay, straw, sawdust and shavings, on any street, sidewalk, public place, vacant lot, or another person's property without that owner's knowledge and consent, and even then only in a manner that won't create a hazard or nuisance. Enforcement runs through the refuse citation process (Sec. 98-1): a citation is affixed to the offending property, with ten days to pay or dispute. Sec. 98-42 sets the baseline penalty at $25 per violation, up to $100 for commercial establishments and multifamily buildings of four or more units, unless a more specific penalty applies, as with dumping into rivers, creeks or drains under Sec. 98-3, which scales up to $25,000 in fines or 30 days in jail for large-volume violations.