Norfolk, VA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Norfolk Code Ch. 14.5, Environmental Offenses
- Core offense class
- Class 1 misdemeanor, § 14.5-1
- Repeat exposure
- Each day of violation is a separate offense
- Vehicle dumping rule
- Owner/operator liable if material ejected from vehicle
- Enforcement agencies
- Police, health director, fire marshal
- Extra remedy
- Judge may order site restoration, public service
Summary
Norfolk Code § 14.5-4 makes it unlawful to dump solid waste on any property, in any waters, or into the stormwater system without a permit. Violators face a Class 1 misdemeanor under § 14.5-1, with each day of the violation charged as a separate offense and court-ordered site restoration.
Sec. 14.5-1. - Violations. Any person violating any provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Each day of violation shall constitute a separate offense. In addition to any penalty imposed for each violation, a judge hearing the case may direct the person responsible for the violation to correct the violation and restore the site and each day's default in such correction, remediation or restoration shall constitute a violation of and a separate offense under this section. ... Sec. 14.5-4. - Illegal dumping prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any person to dump any solid waste on any property, in any waters, or in any stormwater system, except as authorized by applicable permit. It shall be the burden of the alleged violator to show proof of any applicable permits. When a violation of the provisions of this section has been observed by any person and the matter dumped has been ejected from a motor vehicle or watercraft, the owner or operator of such motor vehicle or watercraft shall be deemed to be the person ejecting such solid waste.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 166).
Full Breakdown
5, Environmental Offenses, governs illegal dumping citywide. 5-3 to include litter, garbage, bulk waste, industrial waste, hazardous waste, structural waste, and yard waste, onto property, into waters, or into the stormwater system unless a permit authorizes it. The alleged violator carries the burden of proving a permit exists. 5-4 makes the vehicle's owner or operator responsible for the dumping, closing the loophole of an unidentified passenger tossing debris from a car. 5-6 requires property owners to keep land free of solid waste accumulations. 5-2 gives enforcement authority to any city law enforcement officer, sworn special police officer, the director of public health or a designee, and the fire marshal or an assistant, meaning multiple city departments can write a dumping citation, not just police.
5-8 additionally requires anyone ordered to remove solid waste to produce a disposal receipt showing the date, time, quantity, and disposal site, and failure to submit that proof is itself a separate offense under the chapter. 5 misdemeanors under Va. 2-1542.
Violations & Fines
A first dumping offense under § 14.5-1 is a Class 1 misdemeanor, and each day the dumped material remains or each day of continued violation is charged as its own separate offense, so a single dumping incident can generate ongoing daily charges until cleaned up. Beyond the criminal charge, a judge may order the violator to correct the violation, restore the polluted site, and perform public service tied to restoring the area, with each day of noncompliance with a restoration order counting as an additional separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dumping trash on someone else's land in Norfolk a crime?
Who gets cited if trash blows out of a moving truck bed?
Can Norfolk keep charging me for dumped material I have not cleaned up?
Which city officials can enforce Norfolk's illegal dumping law?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Norfolk
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