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

Section 2-16-232 of the Glynn County Code makes it unlawful to dump, deposit, throw, leave, discard, place, discharge, dispose or drop litter, or to cause or permit someone else to do so, on any public or private property in the unincorporated county, in the Urban Service Tax District, or in any waters in the unincorporated area, unless the property is designated for litter disposal and the person is authorized to use it, the litter goes into an installed litter receptacle the person is permitted to use, or the person is the property owner or tenant, or has the owner's or tenant's consent.

The county's definition of litter is broad, covering discarded sand, gravel, tin cans, garbage, trash, debris, dead animals, animal waste, bottles, tires, appliances, furniture, construction materials, motor vehicle parts, waste oil, batteries and any other discarded material. When litter is thrown from a moving vehicle, boat or airplane, the trier of fact may infer the operator violated the section, and when discarded litter contains identifying items like mail addressed to a person, that too can support an inference of that person's violation. Under § 2-16-244, a conviction is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine or 60 days in jail, or both, with an escalating minimum: not less than $300 for a first offense, $600 for a second, and $1,000 for a third or subsequent offense, and each day the violation continues is a separate offense.

A judge may also order the violator to pick up and remove litter from public property or an adjoining private right-of-way for up to two miles, or from private property with the owner's permission, and may order reimbursement to the county for cleanup costs when personal removal is not feasible.