Georgetown, TX Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Georgetown prohibits illegal dumping through its nuisance ordinance: Sec. 8.20.080 makes it a violation to place, deposit, throw, or allow to be placed, deposited, or thrown any garbage, brush, loose waste, or refuse of any kind on any public or private property outside of any building, unless deposited in accordance with the policies and procedures of Texas Disposal Systems. Beyond the city ordinance, illegal dumping is a state offense under Tex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 365.012, which applies anywhere in Texas. Under the state statute, a person commits an offense by disposing of, receiving, or transporting litter or solid waste to a place that is not an approved solid-waste site, including within 300 feet of a public highway, a right-of-way, or other public or private property. Penalties scale with quantity: a Class C misdemeanor for 5 pounds or less (or 5 gallons or less); a Class B misdemeanor for more than 5 but less than 500 pounds (or 5 to 100 cubic feet); a Class A misdemeanor for 500 to less than 1,000 pounds (or 100 to 200 cubic feet), or for certain commercial-purpose dumping; and a state-jail felony for 1,000 pounds or more, 200 cubic feet or more, or waste in a closed barrel or drum. A prior conviction bumps the offense to the next-highest category. Anyone who hires a hauler that then dumps illegally can also be charged.