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

General Code Sec. 50-51, titled 'Unlawful disposal of refuse, garbage, or rubbish,' makes it unlawful for any person to dump or bury, or cause to be dumped or buried, any garbage, refuse, solid waste, or rubbish anywhere in the district not previously approved by the appropriate state authorities. The district covers all unincorporated county property under Sec. 50-39. Separately, Sec. 50-16, Littering, bars throwing or depositing solid waste on any public or private street, or scattering it on public or private property, and bars throwing or depositing solid waste, trash or debris into any marsh, stream, drainage ditch, body of water or beach area.

Related sections in the same chapter reinforce the ban: Sec. 50-13 bars placing refuse on or near storm drains or drainage ditches, and Sec. 50-15 makes it unlawful for anyone but the owner or a county agent to disturb or remove a solid waste container or its contents (scavenging). Enforcement runs through Sec. , with citations issued by the sheriff's department or its designee, and the county may also seek injunctive relief.