Provo, UT Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Where dumping is banned
- Anywhere except an approved solid waste facility
- Consent is no defense
- Applies 'with or without permission of the owner'
- Fill exception
- Requires City Engineer permit under Section 15.03.035
- Penalty
- Class B misdemeanor: up to $1,000 fine, 6 months jail
- Governing section
- Provo City Code 11.01.080
Summary
Dumping solid waste anywhere in Provo other than an approved solid waste facility is a Class B misdemeanor under City Code 11.01.080, regardless of whether the property owner consented. The same section bans dumping unauthorized waste into another hauler's containers and using solid waste as landscaping or construction fill without a City Engineer permit.
(1) Except as provided hereafter, it shall be unlawful and constitute a Class B misdemeanor to: (a) place solid waste in within any location in Provo City (with or without the permission of the owner or occupier thereof) except at an approved solid waste management facility. (b) place unauthorized solid waste into containers serviced by a licensed commercial hauler or a private hauler. (c) use solid waste as "fill" for purposes of landscaping or construction unless the following requirements are met: (i) a permit has been obtained from the City engineer pursuant to Section 15.03.035, Provo City Code; and, (ii) use of the proposed material as "fill" does not violate any provision of state or federal law.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-17, passed June 9, 2026).
Full Breakdown
' That means dumping is illegal even on private property and even with the landowner's blessing; only an approved solid waste management facility is a lawful drop point. 035 and the fill use does not violate state or federal law. Subsection (2) adds two more Class B misdemeanor offenses: dumping waste into a container owned, leased, rented, or controlled by someone else without that person's consent, and placing material into a container owned or serviced by Provo City or the South Utah Valley Solid Waste Service District that the District's rules do not allow at its transfer station or facility.
020 to cover putrescible and nonputrescible discarded materials, including demolition and construction debris, but excludes sewage and gaseous materials. The Public Works Department and City enforcement staff investigate illegal dumping complaints, and cases can be prosecuted as Class B misdemeanors in addition to any cost-recovery or cleanup action the City pursues.
Violations & Fines
Every form of unlawful dumping described in Section 11.01.080, from dumping outside an approved facility to using waste as unpermitted fill or dumping in someone else's container without consent, is charged as a Class B misdemeanor. Under the citywide penalty provision, Section 1.03.010(1), that carries a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment up to six months, or both, on top of any cleanup costs the City recovers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to dump trash on my own property in Provo?
Can I use construction debris as fill dirt in Provo?
What happens if I dump trash in someone else's dumpster?
What's the penalty for illegal dumping in Provo?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Provo
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Illegal Dumping in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Utah County handle illegal dumping.