Roanoke County, VA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Section 13-13 of the Roanoke County Code bars dumping rubbish, trash, garbage, litter or any other waste substance on public property such as streets, roads, highways, rights-of-way, parks and alleys anywhere in the county, and on private property unless the owner or the owner's agent has given written consent. It also forbids dumping on any lot the county has not designated as an approved garbage or trash disposal area. Where the violator is known, the county administrator or a designee must first send ten days' written notice by certified mail directing cleanup and removal.

If the violator takes no action within that window, the county may use its own employees or hire a contractor to remove the material and bill the violator for labor, equipment and disposal costs, a step the code says does not bar separate criminal prosecution for the same dumping. A conviction under § 13-13 is a Class 1 misdemeanor, referenced through the county's general penalty section, § 1-10. 1, separately makes it unlawful to scavenge in another person's trash or handle the contents of any county-issued collection receptacle once it has been put out for pickup, and bars anyone other than county employees from placing material in county collection vehicles; that section defines 'trash' to include personal records, household refuse and commercial waste placed in bags or receptacles, excluding yard waste, wood or brush. Enforcement of both sections runs through the county administrator's office and county solid-waste staff under Chapter 20.