Seminole County, FL Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Disposal rule
- County-designated facility only
- Burning without permit
- Unlawful, Sec. 235.72(b)
- Burying without permit
- Unlawful, Sec. 235.72(c)
- Civil penalty
- $100.00, Class II infraction
- Contested max
- Up to $500.00 plus court costs
- Response window
- 30 days to pay or contest
Summary
Seminole County Code Section 235.72 requires all solid waste in the unincorporated area to go to a County-designated disposal facility and makes it unlawful to burn or bury waste anywhere else without a state or County permit. Burning or burying waste without a permit is a Class II civil infraction carrying a $100 fine under the County's citation schedule, rising to $500 if the citation is contested and lost.
Sec. 235.72. - Disposal of waste. (a) All Solid Waste originating and generated, Collected, and disposed of in unincorporated Seminole County must be disposed of at County designated disposal facilities operated by the County or operating under a valid County Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. (b) It is unlawful for any Person to burn Waste except at a County designated disposal facility or pursuant to valid permits issued by the Division of Forestry of the State of Florida and other appropriate regulating governmental entities. (c) It is unlawful for any Person to bury Waste except at a County designated disposal facility or pursuant to valid permits issued by the County and appropriate regulating governmental entities.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23 Update 1 | Land Development Code: Supplement 2).
Full Breakdown
27 lists all three as Class II civil infractions: item 17 for dumping outside a designated facility, item 18 for burning waste without a permit, and item 19 for burying waste without a permit. 00 per violation. 00 plus court costs and legislative assessments, rather than the flat Class II amount.
Violations & Fines
Burning or burying waste outside a County-designated facility, or dumping solid waste anywhere else in the unincorporated area, is a Class II civil infraction carrying a $100 fine under Sections 53.26 and 53.27. A cited person who does not pay within 30 days or who contests and loses faces up to $500 plus court costs, and Section 53.25(e) makes willfully refusing to sign or accept a citation, or refusing to give required identifying information, a second-degree misdemeanor prosecutable under Florida Statutes Sections 775.082 or 775.083.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I burn yard debris or trash in my backyard in unincorporated Seminole County?
Is burying trash or debris on my own property legal?
What happens if I ignore a dumping citation in Seminole County?
Can the fine for illegal dumping go higher than $100?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Seminole County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Seminole County to another location·View the Florida trash & recycling overview
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