Kent, WA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing rule
- KCC 9.02.535 adopts RCW 70A.205.195
- Small-scale penalty
- $50 civil infraction (≤1 cubic foot)
- Larger-scale penalty
- Misdemeanor, 1 cubic foot to 1 cubic yard
- Restitution formula
- Greater of 2x cleanup cost or $50/cubic foot
- Restitution split
- Half landowner, half health department
Summary
Dumping solid waste in Kent without a permit is unlawful under RCW 70A.205.195, adopted into Kent City Code 9.02.535. Small amounts draw a class 3 civil infraction, but littering more than one cubic foot escalates to a misdemeanor plus mandatory cleanup restitution.
9.02.535 RCW Title 70A, entitled “Environmental Health and Safety” – Adoption by reference. ... 70A.205.195 Unlawful to dump or deposit solid waste without permit – Penalties – Litter cleanup restitution payment. ... (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section or at a solid waste disposal site for which there is a valid permit ... it is unlawful for any person to dump or deposit or permit the dumping or depositing of any solid waste onto or under the surface of the ground or into the waters of this state. ... (3)(a) It is a class 3 civil infraction as defined in RCW 7.80.120 for a person to litter in an amount less than or equal to one cubic foot. (b)(i) It is a misdemeanor for a person to litter in an amount greater than one cubic foot but less than one cubic yard. (ii) A person found to have littered in an amount greater than one cubic foot, but less than one cubic yard, shall also pay a litter cleanup restitution payment. This payment must be the greater of twice the actual cost of removing and properly disposing of the litter, or fifty dollars per cubic foot of litter.
Full Breakdown
195's dumping ban directly into city law. The statute makes it unlawful for any person to dump, deposit, or permit the dumping or depositing of solid waste onto or under the ground or into state waters, except at a permitted disposal site or under a jurisdictional health department's own dumping regulations. 120, carrying that infraction class's $50 base penalty, while littering more than one cubic foot but less than one cubic yard is a misdemeanor. Anyone convicted of the larger-volume misdemeanor must also pay a litter cleanup restitution payment equal to the greater of twice the actual removal and disposal cost, or $50 per cubic foot of litter.
The court splits that restitution: half goes to the landowner where the dumping occurred (unless that landowner authorized or assisted the dumping, in which case the landowner forfeits its share) and half goes to the jurisdictional health department that investigated. 010(G).
Violations & Fines
Small-scale dumping (one cubic foot or less) is a $50 class 3 civil infraction under RCW 7.80.120. Dumping more than a cubic foot but less than a cubic yard is a misdemeanor plus mandatory restitution of double the cleanup cost or $50 per cubic foot, whichever is greater, split between the landowner and the investigating health department.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as illegal dumping in Kent?
How much can I be fined for illegal dumping in Kent?
Who receives the restitution money from a Kent dumping conviction?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kent
Compare Kent to another location·View the Washington trash & recycling overview
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Illegal Dumping in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle illegal dumping.