Kennewick, WA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

KMC 9.48.010(2)(a) provides: "Throwing, depositing, exposing, or causing to be disposed of, in any street or other public place within the City, any garbage, waste, refuse, litter, debris, or other offensive material, unless the disposal of such items in such place is specifically authorized by law" constitutes a public nuisance. The companion clause at 9.48.010(2)(b) reaches allowing such material to accumulate or remain on any property in the City to the annoyance of another person, so dumping on private land, not just streets, is covered. The Director, defined to include Code Enforcement Officers and the Building and Fire Officials, enforces this under KMC 9.48.020 by entering voluntary compliance agreements, issuing notice and orders, assessing civil penalties, ordering judicial abatement, and, for uncooperative violators, suspending or revoking City permits.

A notice and order under KMC 9.48.030 must identify the property and violation, state the civil penalty amount, and give 15 days to pay if not appealed; penalties escalate on a schedule set by City Council in the Master Fee Schedule for a first violation, a second violation, and each subsequent violation under KMC 9.48.040(1)(a). Unpaid penalties and abatement costs can be sent to a collection agency, and the City may sue for abatement costs in Benton County District or Superior Court under KMC 9.48.070. Beyond civil enforcement, KMC 9.48.045 authorizes criminal escalation: "after three or more violations of Section 9.48.010 at the same property, the City may forward to the office of the City Attorney a detailed factual background of the alleged violation with a recommendation that a misdemeanor charge be filed." Where dumping poses an immediate hazard in a public way, the Chief of Police or another proper City officer can summarily abate and remove it under KMC 9.48.050 without waiting for the full notice-and-order process.