Lake County, CA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Maximum fine
- $1,000 per offense
- Maximum jail term
- 6 months, County Jail
- Covered locations
- Highways, rights-of-way, public grounds, water courses
- Non-tarping surcharge
- $100 (25,000+ lb vehicle) / $10 (under)
- Original ordinance
- Ord. No. 173 (1920)
Summary
Dumping refuse, garbage, junk, cans or rubbish on any public highway, right-of-way, camping place or public ground in unincorporated Lake County is a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and six months in the County Jail. A separate section bars dumping household garbage in county parks or on public beaches outside designated trash receptacles.
It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to place or dispose of, or cause to be placed or disposed of, upon the right-of-way of any public highway, street or thoroughfare, or upon any camping place or public grounds, within the County of Lake, any refuse, garbage, junk, cans, bottles, rubbish, or other offensive, unsightly, putrescible or decaying matter of any kind whatsoever... Any person, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), or by imprisonment in the County Jail not to exceed the term of six (6) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
Full Breakdown
Lake County Code Sec. 9-1 makes it unlawful for any person to place or dispose of refuse, garbage, junk, cans, bottles, rubbish, or other offensive, unsightly, putrescible or decaying matter on the right-of-way of any public highway, street or thoroughfare, or on any camping place or public grounds anywhere in the county. 2 separately bars bringing household garbage or trash into a county park or public beach for disposal there. The dumping ban traces to Ordinance No. 173 from 1920 and was last amended by Ordinance No.
2099 in 1992. A related provision, Sec. 9-2, bars dumping the body of a dead animal or fish, or septic tank effluent, at any established public dump except as the Board of Supervisors allows, and Sec. 9-3 extends the same dumping prohibition to any creek, stream, river or water course that drains into Clear Lake, carrying the same misdemeanor penalty. Enforcement of these sections falls to county code enforcement and the Sheriff's Office, since a conviction is a criminal misdemeanor rather than a civil infraction.
Anyone who dumps at the county's own disposal sites also faces a separate non-tarping surcharge under Sec. 3 (Ord. No. 2799): vehicles arriving at the Eastlake Landfill or Lakeport Transfer Station gatehouse with an unsecured or uncovered load pay a $100 fee if the vehicle weighs 25,000 pounds or more, or a $10 fee under that weight, in addition to the regular tipping fee.
Violations & Fines
A violation of Sec. 9-1, 9-2 or 9-3 is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not exceeding $1,000, imprisonment in the County Jail for up to six months, or both. Lack of an adequately secured or covered load at the county landfill gatehouse is itself proof of a violation under Sec. 9-2.3(d), triggering the non-tarping surcharge regardless of intent.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the penalty for illegal dumping in unincorporated Lake County?
Does the dumping ban cover Clear Lake tributaries?
Is there a separate fee for uncovered loads at the county landfill?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lake County
California rules heatmap·Compare Lake County to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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