Rialto, CA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Chapter 8.30, adopted by Ordinance 1209 in 1994, is Rialto's dedicated unlawful dumping law, separate from and layered on top of Chapter 8.08's general solid waste rules. The council's findings in § 8.30.010 point to the city's high winds and growing population as reasons dumped waste on roads and rights-of-way became enough of a hazard to fire, safety, health and general welfare to warrant its own chapter. Section 8.30.020(A) bans dumping waste matter on any public or private highway or road (including the right-of-way), on private property where the public has an easement or license, on private property without the owner's consent, or on any public park or other public property not designated for that purpose. Subsection (B) separately bans dumping rocks or dirt on private roads or property without the owner's consent.

Enforcement is calibrated to repeat offenses. Under § 8.30.020(E), a first conviction draws a fine of $100 to $1,000, a second draws $500 to $1,000, and a third or subsequent conviction draws $750 to $1,000; if the dumped material is used tires, that fine doubles, capped at $1,000 per violation. Subsection (C) makes every day the waste remains a separate violation, so a pile left in place keeps accruing exposure. Courts can also order a convicted defendant, as a condition of probation, to remove the waste or pay removal costs under subsection (F), or to pick up waste matter somewhere in the city for at least eight hours under subsection (G) if removal isn't ordered. Section 8.30.030 makes clear the chapter is cumulative, not exclusive, so the city can still pursue a Chapter 8.08 misdemeanor or nuisance abatement action for the same conduct.