Bucks County, PA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned materials
- tires, electronics, household waste, refuse
- Picnic trash
- allowed in receptacles, § 9.19(B)
- Ordinance ticket
- $25 to $100
- Summary fine
- up to $600, 10 days jail
- Expulsion
- 6 months to 2 years
Summary
Bucks County bars bringing tires, electronics, household waste, refuse or any other dangerous or detrimental substance into a county park and dumping it, whether into a receptacle or anywhere else. Section 9.19(A) of the Park System Rules and Regulations lists the banned materials by name, and the only carve-out is trash generated on-site from a picnic or similar activity, which residents can put into the receptacles the county supplies.
A. No person shall bring any tires, electronics, wastepaper, sweepings, ashes, household waste, glass, metal, yard waste, animal waste or carcass, refuse or rubbish or any dangerous or detrimental substance into the Park System and deposit the same, either in a receptacle or any other place.
Full Breakdown
19(A) bars bringing any tires, electronics, wastepaper, sweepings, ashes, household waste, glass, metal, yard waste, animal waste or carcass, refuse or rubbish, or any dangerous or detrimental substance into the Park System and depositing it, whether in a receptacle or any other place. 19(B) preserves the right to use the receptacles the Department supplies for trash generated in the Park System from a picnic or similar activity, so a family cleaning up after its own cookout is not violating the section. 24, and Section 13 gives Park Police authority to enforce all of them.
A violation is a summary offense under Section 12(A): a magistrate or district justice can impose a fine up to $600 plus restitution for any damage caused, and up to 10 days' imprisonment. The Department can instead issue a county ordinance ticket of $25 to $100 under Section 12(B), with unpaid tickets referred to a district justice for a formal citation. The Director can also expel a violator from the Park System for a minimum of six months and up to two years depending on the severity of the dumping, and the person can appeal that expulsion in writing to the Board of Commissioners within 10 business days.
Violations & Fines
Dumping tires, electronics, household waste or other listed material in a Bucks County park is a summary offense under Section 12(A): a fine up to $600 plus restitution and up to 10 days' imprisonment. The Department can instead issue a $25-to-$100 county ordinance ticket under Section 12(B), and the Director can expel the violator from the Park System for six months to two years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I dump old tires or electronics in a Bucks County park?
Can I throw away my picnic trash in a Bucks County park?
What is the penalty for illegal dumping in a Bucks County park?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bucks County
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