Iron County, UT Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Iron County Code § 8.08.070(B)
- Lawful disposal
- County's approved service, or Board of Health-approved method
- Penalty section
- Iron County Code § 8.08.180
- First offense
- $100 fine plus 10 community service hours
- Second offense
- $299 fine plus 20 community service hours
- Maximum penalty
- $1,000 fine or 6 months in jail
Summary
Iron County Code Section 8.08.070(B) makes it unlawful to dispose of garbage, refuse, animals, or debris anywhere in the unincorporated county except through the county's approved solid waste service, unless the State Board of Health has approved another method. Violating any part of Chapter 8.08, including this rule, is a Class B misdemeanor under Section 8.08.180.
B.It is unlawful for any person to dispose of any garbage, refuse, animals, or debris within the boundaries of the unincorporated areas of Iron County except through the approved services provided by the county service area, unless such other disposal methods have been approved by the State Board of Health. ... Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter is deemed guilty of a Class B misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall pay a minimum mandatory fine of one hundred dollars and serve ten community service hours for the first offense; pay a minimum mandatory fine of two hundred ninety-nine dollars and serve twenty community service hours for a second offense, with the fine not to exceed one thousand dollars or imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment as outlined in this section.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 8.08 built Iron County Service Area No. 1 to collect and dispose of solid waste across the unincorporated county, and Section 8.08.070 spells out the mandatory-use framework behind it. Subsection A empowers the service area to provide collection and disposal, subsection B makes it unlawful to dump garbage, refuse, animals, or debris anywhere else absent State Board of Health approval, and subsection C lets residents dispose directly at the county's sanitary landfill instead, but only upon paying the fee set by the service area's governing board.
Related sections narrow legal disposal further: Section 8.08.110 requires waste generated in the county to go to the county landfill or another county-designated site, and bars outside waste from that site without commission approval, while Section 8.08.120 bans hazardous or infectious waste from any regular garbage receptacle. The chapter does not name one dedicated dumping-enforcement office, but Section 8.08.180 empowers the county to prosecute any violation of Chapter 8.08 as a Class B misdemeanor, with a mandatory fine and community service hours for a first offense that escalate on a second, and a hard cap of a $1,000 fine or six months in jail, or both.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of Section 8.08.070(B) or any other provision of Chapter 8.08 carries a mandatory $100 fine and ten community service hours under Section 8.08.180. A second offense carries a mandatory $299 fine and twenty community service hours. The court can impose a fine up to $1,000, imprisonment in the county jail up to six months, or both, for any violation of the chapter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I dump my own trash on vacant land in unincorporated Iron County?
What is the penalty for illegal dumping in Iron County?
Where can I legally take my trash if I don't want curbside pickup?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Iron County
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