Union County, NJ Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Illegal quantity threshold
- 0.148 cubic yards solid / 30 gallons liquid
- First-offense fine
- $2,500 minimum
- Third+ offense fine
- Up to $10,000
- Civil penalty option
- Up to $50,000 per day
- License suspension
- 6 months to 1 year
- Enforcing agency
- Union County Office of Emergency Management
- Fine split
- 50% county / 50% municipality
Summary
Union County's Solid Waste Illegal Dumping Ordinance bars dumping more than 0.148 cubic yards of solid waste or 30 gallons of liquid anywhere without DEP authorization. A conviction is a disorderly persons offense: at least $2,500 for a first offense, up to $10,000 for a third, plus mandatory community service.
A. No person shall, regardless of intent, engage or be permitted to engage in the collection or disposal of solid waste in excess of 0.148 cubic yards of solids or 30 United States gallons of liquids, whether for profit or otherwise, except at a disposal site or any other place which has authorization from the Department of Environmental Protection or the Board of Public Utilities to accept solid waste. (See N.J.S.A. 13:1E-9.3.) ... C. In addition, any person who violates the provisions of § 129-5A and B above commits a disorderly persons offense and, if convicted, shall be subject to a fine of not less than $2,500 for the first offense, not more than $5,000 for the second offense and not more than $10,000 for a third and every subsequent offense.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
Adopted in 1997 as Ordinance No. A. , at the county level through the Union County Office of Emergency Management. 148 cubic yards of solid waste, or 30 United States gallons of liquid waste, at any site other than one authorized by the DEP or the Board of Public Utilities, and no one may transport that quantity of waste to an unauthorized disposal site. This threshold, unlike the county-property-only rules elsewhere in the code, applies countywide because it enforces a state statute rather than a county-property jurisdictional clause.
A or B a disorderly persons offense. Section 129-7 splits collected penalties and fines evenly between the county and the municipality where the violation was prosecuted, giving each town's police and courts a financial stake in enforcement alongside the Office of Emergency Management.
Violations & Fines
Section 129-6.C sets criminal fines of not less than $2,500 for a first offense, not more than $5,000 for a second, and not more than $10,000 for a third and each subsequent offense, with each additional day of continuing violation charged as a separate offense. Section 129-6.D adds mandatory community service of up to 90 days and a driver's license suspension of six months to one year, and Section 129-6.E allows forfeiture of the vehicle used to haul the waste.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much waste triggers Union County's illegal dumping law?
Is illegal dumping a criminal charge in Union County?
Can my vehicle be seized for illegal dumping in Union County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Union County
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