Marathon County, WI Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited
- Garbage/refuse/litter on any property
- Includes
- Throwing trash from a moving vehicle
- First-offense fine
- $5-$500 forfeiture
- Repeat within 1 year
- $10-$500 forfeiture
- Authority
- § 9.52, General Code § 25.04
Summary
Marathon County makes it illegal to deposit garbage, refuse or litter anywhere in the county -- on a highway, in a lake or river, on the ice, or on anyone else's public or private property -- including throwing trash from a moving vehicle.
(2)No person shall deposit or discharge any garbage, refuse, or litter on or along any highway, in any body of water in the county, on the ice of any body of water of the county, or on any other public or private property.(3)No person shall permit any garbage, refuse, or litter to be thrown from a vehicle operated by the person.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 59).
Full Breakdown
Section 9.52 bars depositing or discharging garbage, refuse, or litter on or along any highway, in any body of water in the county, on the ice, or on any other public or private property, and separately bars throwing garbage, refuse or litter from a vehicle. The section sits in Chapter 9, Public Peace and Good Order, applied countywide under § 59.54, Wis. Stats. The county's related dumping section, § 9.53, addresses waste dumped specifically on county-owned or leased premises rather than general litter anywhere in the county.
Violations & Fines
A first offense carries the General Code's default forfeiture of $5 to $500 under § 25.04(1)(a); a second offense within a year runs $10 to $500, with each day of a continuing violation counted separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to dump trash on someone else's land in Marathon County?
What's the fine for littering from a car in Marathon County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Marathon County
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