Iredell County, NC Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Section 12-18 of the Code of Ordinances lists the county's core dumping prohibitions. Subsection (a) makes it unlawful to litter or violate G.S. § 14-399, and Section 12-2 defines littering broadly as throwing, scattering, spilling, placing, dumping, depositing, or otherwise disposing of any solid waste upon any property with or without the consent of the property owner. Subsection (c) separately bans burying or submerging solid waste in the earth or in any body of water for disposal purposes, though beneficial fill material permitted by county, state or federal rules and properly permitted waste facilities are exempted. Section 12-7(c) adds that no one may dump waste into a garbage can, dumpster or other container belonging to someone else without the owner's or lessee's permission.

Section 12-12 sets the penalties. A first violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $50 or up to 30 days in jail, or both, with each day of continuing violation charged as a separate offense. The county may instead pursue a civil penalty of up to $500 under G.S. § 153A-123, and can seek injunctive relief or an abatement order for an unlawful condition. Before issuing a citation, the Solid Waste Enforcement Officer must first serve a written notice of violation, giving the violator at least seven days to correct the condition and dispose of the material properly. A violator who cannot prove the waste was properly disposed of faces a separate offense billed at three times the county landfill's tipping fee for the material's weight, plus a $100 noncompliance charge. Enforcement is shared among the Solid Waste Enforcement Officer, the County Health Department, the County Sheriff's Department and the state Division of Waste Management.