Riverside County, CA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Riverside County Code § 9.24.010
- First offense
- Infraction, up to $100
- Repeat offense
- Up to $1,000 or 6 months jail
- Applies to
- Unincorporated county only
Summary
Dumping trash, debris or demolition material on public or private land in unincorporated Riverside County draws escalating fines up to $1,000 and six months in jail.
No person, firm, partnership, association or corporation, shall place, deposit, throw or dump any trash, garbage, waste, debris or refuse matter on any public or private property whether owned or controlled by the person or not, except where such matter is being temporarily placed in receptacles for later collection and removal... guilty of an infraction offense and punished by a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100.00) for a first violation... The third and any additional violations shall be punishable by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or six months in jail, or both.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 84 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
County Code Section 9.24.010 bans placing, throwing or dumping trash, garbage, waste, debris, rocks, dirt or demolition material on any public or private property in the unincorporated county, with no exception for dumping on your own land. A first offense is an infraction up to $100, a second up to $200, and a third or later violation is punishable by up to $1,000 or six months in jail, and can be charged as a misdemeanor from the first offense. Each day the material stays is a separate violation, and paying the fine does not excuse the offender from removing what was dumped.
Violations & Fines
Up to $100 fine, first offense; up to $200, second; third and later violations up to $1,000 fine or 6 months in county jail, or both; each day counts separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this apply inside the city of Riverside or Moreno Valley?
Can I be fined for dumping debris on my own vacant lot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Riverside County
California rules heatmap·Compare Riverside County to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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