Highlands County, FL Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited act
- Dumping or accumulating waste on any land
- Applies to
- Improved and unimproved property alike
- Enforcing officer
- County development director (or assistant)
- First violation fine
- Up to $250.00 per day
- Repeat violation fine
- Up to $500.00 per day
- Irreparable violation cap
- Up to $5,000.00 per violation
- Citation
- Highlands County Code § 5-17
Summary
It is unlawful in unincorporated Highlands County to dump, place or let accumulate grass, solid waste, white goods, wrecked vessels or vehicles, or other obnoxious material on any land, improved or not, if it could harbor rats or snakes, create a fire hazard, or harm residents' health and safety. Highlands County Code enforcement can fine violators daily.
No person shall dump or cause to be dumped or place or cause to be placed, leave or permit to accumulate any grass, solid waste, white goods, inoperative and derelict vessels and vehicles or obnoxious material of any kind on any lands or premises, improved or unimproved, within the county, so that the same shall or may afford feed or harborage or tend to be a breeding place or haven for snakes, rats or vermin of all kinds and character or which tend to create a fire hazard endangering the lives and property of the citizens of the county or which shall or may injure or adversely affect the safety, health and welfare of the residents and citizens of the county.
Full Breakdown
Section 5-17 of the Highlands County Code prohibits dumping or accumulating grass, solid waste, white goods, inoperative or derelict vessels and vehicles, or any other obnoxious material on any land in the county, whether improved or unimproved, when that material could feed or harbor snakes, rats or vermin, create a fire hazard, or otherwise threaten the safety, health or welfare of residents. The 'enforcement officer' under this article, defined in section 5-16, is the county's development director or an authorized assistant. A related section, 5-18, separately bans abandoning any vessel or vehicle anywhere in the county, and section 5-21 declares that any dumping, abandonment or accumulation violating this article is a nuisance that both the vehicle's owner and the property owner or occupant have a duty to remove.
Article II of Chapter 5 is one of the code chapters enforced through the county's administrative citation and special magistrate process in Chapter 2. 00 per violation, plus the county's investigation, prosecution and hearing costs.
Violations & Fines
Fines accrue daily once the code enforcement special magistrate finds a violation and sets a compliance deadline: up to $250.00 per day for a first violation and up to $500.00 per day for a repeat violation, capped at $5,000.00 per violation if the magistrate deems the dumping irreparable or irreversible. The county can also clean up the site itself and bill the owner for the cost, and an unpaid fine or cleanup bill becomes a recorded lien against the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as illegal dumping in Highlands County?
Who investigates a dumping complaint?
How much can I be fined for dumping on my own vacant land?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Highlands County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Highlands County to another location·View the Florida trash & recycling overview
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