Daviess County, KY Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Dumping penalty
- Up to $20 per ton of waste dumped
- General chapter penalty
- $25 to $1,000 civil penalty
- Continuing violation
- Each day is a separate offense
- Prohibited locations
- Land, water, roadsides, streams, gullies
- Who can cite
- County Judge/Executive, Sheriff, Waste Coordinator
Summary
Daviess County bans open dumping outright: § 50.005 prohibits dumping solid or bulky waste on any land, water, or air, including roadsides, hollows, rivers, streams, lakes, and gullies, and bans creating or using an open dump. Violators face a civil penalty of up to $20 per ton dumped plus the chapter's general fine.
§ 50.005 OPEN DUMPING. Dumping of solid waste, including bulky waste, on any lands, water, or air (i.e., roadsides, hollows, rivers, streams, lakes, gullies, and the like) by any person is prohibited. The creation or use of an open dump is prohibited. ... § 50.999(B)(1) ... any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter or any lawful rules or regulations promulgated pursuant thereto, or any permit issued pursuant thereto, upon conviction in the County District Court, shall be punished by a civil penalty of not less than $25 nor more than $1,000, provided that each day's violation thereof shall be a separate offense. Additionally, any person violating § 50.005 shall be subject to a civil penalty of up to $20 per ton of solid waste disposed in the commonwealth.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-20: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. KOC 520.3 (2025), passed 12-18-2025; and State legislation current through KRS Pamphlet 2025).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 50's solid waste rules flatly prohibit open dumping. 005 states that dumping of solid waste, including bulky waste, on any lands, water, or air, meaning roadsides, hollows, rivers, streams, lakes, gullies, and similar locations, by any person is prohibited, and separately bans creating or using an open dump. 009(A) bars disposing of solid waste on any premises other than a permitted disposal facility, with or without the property owner's consent. 005 specifically carries a civil penalty of up to $20 per ton of solid waste illegally disposed of in the Commonwealth.
Chapter 50 also sets a baseline civil penalty of not less than $25 nor more than $1,000 for violating any provision, rule, regulation, or permit issued under the chapter, with each day of continuing violation charged as a separate offense. Citations for illegal dumping can be issued by the County Judge/Executive or a designee, the Solid Waste Coordinator, the County Sheriff, or any other officer authorized to serve warrants in the county, and these local penalties do not replace or conflict with penalties under any other county ordinance.
Violations & Fines
A person who dumps solid or bulky waste on land, water, or air in the county faces a civil penalty of up to $20 per ton of waste dumped, on top of the chapter's general civil penalty of $25 to $1,000, with each day the violation continues charged as a separate offense. The County Judge/Executive's designee, the Solid Waste Coordinator, the County Sheriff, or another authorized officer can issue the citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is open dumping illegal in unincorporated Daviess County?
What is the fine for illegal dumping in Daviess County?
Who enforces the illegal dumping ban in Daviess County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Daviess County
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