Olympia, WA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned acts
- Throw into, deposit upon or sweep into streets or public property
- Named materials
- Glass, metal, broken ware, yard debris, dirt, rubbish, garbage, recyclables
- Exception
- Locations and containers designated by the City for that use
- Misdemeanor penalty
- Fine up to $1,000, up to ninety days, each day separate
- Civil infraction
- Class 3 ($50), Class 2 ($125), Class 1 ($250)
- Related enforcement chapter
- OMC Chapter 4.44, Uniform Civil Enforcement
Summary
In the City of Olympia, Washington, Olympia Municipal Code § 12.24.040 bars anyone from throwing, depositing or sweeping glass, metal, broken ware, yard debris, dirt, rubbish, garbage or recyclables into a public street, highway or other public property, or onto private premises, except in containers the City designates for that use. Violations are misdemeanors and civil infractions under § 12.24.160.
No person shall throw into or deposit upon or sweep into any public street, highway or other public property, or upon any private premises, any glass, metal, broken ware, yard debris such as leaves or grass clippings, dirt, rubbish or garbage or recyclables, except at such locations and in such containers properly designated by the City as appropriate for such use. ... A. Any person, firm, or corporation who knowingly violates or fails to comply with any term or provision of this chapter shall be deemed to have committed a misdemeanor, and if found guilty, shall be subject to a fine not to exceed One Thousand Dollars ($1,000), and/or to imprisonment not to exceed ninety (90) days or to both such fine and imprisonment. Each day shall be a separate offense. ... 1. First offense: Class 3 ($50), not including statutory assessments. 2. Second offense arising out of the same facts as the first offense: Class 2 ($125), not including statutory assessments. 3. Third offense arising out of the same facts as the first offense: Class 1 ($250), not including statutory assessments.
Full Breakdown
Section 12.24.040 of the Olympia Municipal Code is the city's rule against dumping on streets and other property in the City of Olympia, Thurston County, Washington. It sits in Chapter 12.24, Obstructions, and it covers three verbs: throw into, deposit upon, or sweep into. The places covered are any public street, highway or other public property, and also any private premises.
The list of material is specific: glass, metal, broken ware, yard debris such as leaves or grass clippings, dirt, rubbish, garbage and recyclables. Yard debris is named on purpose, so raking leaves or sweeping grass clippings into the roadway is a violation in the same way a pile of broken glass is. Dirt is on the list too, which reaches material swept off a driveway or construction frontage.
The one exception is a container or location the City has designated as appropriate for that use. A public litter receptacle or a City-provided collection container satisfies the section; a street gutter, a curb strip or a neighbor's lot does not. The section prints no separate dumping fine of its own. Penalties come from § 12.24.160, which applies to any term or provision of Chapter 12.24 and ends with a cross-reference to OMC Chapter 4.44, Uniform Civil Enforcement.
Chapter 4.44 states its purpose as a uniform civil method of enforcing the City of Olympia's regulatory ordinances in a timely fashion, and it provides for a notice of violation, a compliance agreement and a remedy for failure to comply with a notice. Each day of a violation counts separately under § 12.24.160, so a pile left in place accrues daily.
Violations & Fines
A knowing violation of § 12.24.040 is a misdemeanor under § 12.24.160(A): a fine not to exceed One Thousand Dollars ($1,000), imprisonment not to exceed ninety (90) days, or both, and each day is a separate offense. Continuing violations within a year escalate to gross misdemeanors with fines up to $5,000. As a concurrent civil infraction, the penalty is Class 3 ($50), then Class 2 ($125), then Class 1 ($250), not including statutory assessments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sweep leaves or grass clippings into the street in the City of Olympia?
Does the dumping rule cover private property too?
What are the penalties for dumping in Olympia?
Which city code chapter handles the enforcement process?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Olympia
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