Salt Lake County, UT Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Salt Lake County Code §9.52.180
- Scope
- Unincorporated Salt Lake County only
- Lawful disposal site
- SL City-County Landfill or approved sanitary landfill
- Accumulation deadline
- 24 hours after board of health notice
- Enforcing agency
- Salt Lake County Board of Health
- Default penalty
- Infraction under general penalty §1.12.010
Summary
Salt Lake County Code section 9.52.180 makes it unlawful to dump or dispose of refuse or garbage anywhere in the unincorporated county except at a lawfully established dump, meaning the Salt Lake City-County Landfill or a board of health-approved sanitary landfill. Anything not hauled to an approved site must go into containers for Special Service District No. 1 pickup.
It is unlawful to dump or dispose of any refuse or garbage of any description anywhere in the county except in a lawfully established garbage or refuse dump, as defined in Section 9.52.110 of this chapter. Such material not so properly disposed of shall be placed in containers for collection by Salt Lake County Special Service District No. 1.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 49).
Full Breakdown
020. 110 defines the only lawful outlets: the Salt Lake City-County Landfill or a sanitary landfill previously approved by the board of health that covers over all materials received each day. 050, which makes it unlawful to dump refuse, building materials, machinery, furniture or junk on private land without the owner's consent, and even consented material must be covered or otherwise conditioned as soon as physically feasible if it becomes obnoxious, a nuisance, or a danger to health or safety. 190 imposes its own duties: garbage, ashes, market waste, trade waste, manure and other refuse not collected by Special Service District No.
1 must be hauled away by the owner or occupant, and it is unlawful to let it accumulate or to fail to remove it within twenty-four hours after the board of health gives notice. That same section separately bars leaving junk, scrap metal, scrap lumber, waste paper, discarded building materials, or abandoned vehicles and appliances sitting on a yard, garden, lawn, outbuilding or premises unless tied to a lawfully licensed business. 010 to cover combustible trash such as paper, boxes and yard trimmings, noncombustible trash such as metal, dirt and glass, and street rubbish such as sweepings and litter-receptacle contents, though it excludes earth from building operations and industrial or manufacturing waste.
Because the rule sits in the county's general code, it governs only the unincorporated area; residents of Salt Lake City, West Valley City, West Jordan, Sandy, Murray and the county's other incorporated cities are subject to that city's own dumping ordinance instead.
Violations & Fines
Illegal dumping is enforced by the county board of health under section 9.52.020, which investigates complaints and can declare an unsanitary condition a public nuisance under section 9.52.030. Because Chapter 9.52 sets no separate penalty, a conviction falls under the county's general penalty, section 1.12.010: an infraction punished under state statute unless the ordinance specifically labels the offense a class B or C misdemeanor. Accumulated waste left more than twenty-four hours after a board of health notice is a separate violation under section 9.52.190(B).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I dump yard waste or junk on my own property in Salt Lake County?
Where can unincorporated county residents legally take garbage and refuse?
What happens if I don't clean up accumulated garbage after a notice from the health board?
Does this dumping ban apply inside Salt Lake City or West Jordan?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake County
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