Navajo County, AZ Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Violation
- Placing rubbish, trash, filth, or debris on another's land
- Criminal penalty
- Class 1 Misdemeanor, § 2203(1)
- Cost liability
- Violator pays county's removal costs, § 2203(2)
- Unpaid costs
- Recorded lien against the property, § 2202(5)(e)
- Enforcement
- Code Enforcement Officers, County Attorney's Office
- Applies in
- Unincorporated Navajo County only, outside tribal land
Summary
Placing rubbish, trash, filth, or debris on land you don't own or control in unincorporated Navajo County is a Class 1 Misdemeanor under Section 2203 of the county's zoning ordinance. On top of the criminal charge, the person who dumped it is liable for every dollar the county spends removing the material.
Section 2203 – Placing Rubbish, Trash, Filth, or Debris on Property of Another; Penalty; Assessment 1. Placing Rubbish, Trash, Filth, or Debris on Property of Another is Prohibited: Any person who places rubbish, trash, filth, or debris on any Real Property not owned by or under the control of said person is guilty of a Class 1 Misdemeanor. 2. Liability for Costs: In addition to any fine which may be imposed pursuant to Paragraph 1, the person who places rubbish, trash, filth, or debris on any Real Property not owned by or under the control of said person shall be liable for all costs which may assessed for the removal of the rubbish, trash, filth, or debris, pursuant to Section 2202.
Full Breakdown
§ 11-268 authority, reaches dumping in the unincorporated county, outside reservation land and outside Holbrook, Winslow, Show Low, Snowflake, Taylor, and Pinetop-Lakeside. ' That charge runs alongside, not instead of, the cleanup bill. Section 2203(2) ties the dumper to the removal costs assessed under Section 2202, the same abatement track the county uses for unaddressed weeds and dilapidated buildings: a Notice to Abate or Enjoin, a 30-day compliance window, a right to appeal to the Board of Supervisors within 15 days of service, and, if the assessment goes unpaid, recordation as a lien against the property that accrues interest at the statutory judgment rate under Section 2202(5)(e) and (g).
§§ 13-2908, 36-602, and 49-143, plus the Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, so a dumping case can run on more than one track at once. Code Enforcement Officers and Building Inspectors investigate under Section 2103, ordinarily in response to citizen complaints, which the ordinance allows to be filed anonymously, and the County Attorney's Office carries enforcement forward once a violation is confirmed.
Violations & Fines
A dumping violation is charged as a Class 1 Misdemeanor, Arizona's top misdemeanor class, referred through the Navajo County Attorney's Office. Separately, under Section 2203(2), the person who dumped the material is billed for the county's actual removal costs, calculated the same way as a Section 2202 abatement; an unpaid bill becomes a recorded Assessment lien against real property, accruing interest at the statutory judgment rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dumping trash on someone else's lot a crime in unincorporated Navajo County?
Do I also have to pay for cleanup if I'm charged?
Who investigates illegal dumping complaints in Navajo County?
Does this ordinance cover dumping inside Holbrook, Winslow, or Show Low?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Navajo County
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