Macon-Bibb County, GA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Section 22-53(a) of the Macon-Bibb County Code makes it unlawful to place, store, dump, park, or broadcast junk, metal, brickbats, stones, plaster, lumber, trash, garbage, yard waste, grass clippings, leaves, litter, paper, or similar rubbish on any public street, sidewalk, lane, alley, park, or reserve, or into the storm drainage system, except when placing material for authorized collection by the Department of Public Works. 00, a floor written directly into the ordinance. A companion provision, Section 22-52, separately bans sweeping, throwing, or depositing garbage, trash, brush, stagnant water, dead animals, or other debris into a drain, gutter, street, sidewalk, vacant lot, or any public or private premises, with an exception for material placed at the front property line for routine pickup.

That section builds in an evidentiary shortcut for enforcement: if dumped waste contains letters, bills, or other writings displaying a person's name, it creates a rebuttable presumption that person violated the section, shifting the burden onto the alleged dumper to explain themselves. Properties where debris accumulates to the level defined as a public nuisance under Chapter 15, Article IV, can also face in rem enforcement action at the discretion of the county's designated Public Officer, separate from any criminal citation. Both sections sit within Article III's Litter Control division, distinct from the franchise and collection rules in Article I, and both are enforced through Macon-Bibb County Municipal Court.